Inhibiting deleterious control coupling in an enclosure having multiple hvac regions

ABSTRACT

The current application is related to environmental-conditioning systems controlled by intelligent controllers and, in particular, to an intelligent-thermostat-controlled HVAC system that detects and ameliorates control coupling between intelligent thermostats. Control coupling can lead to inefficient HVAC operation. When control coupling is detected, a settings-adjustment directive is sent to at least one intelligent thermostat to adjust one or more intelligent-thermostat settings, including an HVAC-cycle-initiation delay parameter, swing parameter, and a parameter that indicates whether or not an intelligent thermostat should first obtain confirmation or permission before initiating an HVAC cycle.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Prov. Ser. No. 61/429,093filed 31 Dec. 2010, U.S. Prov. Ser. No. 61/627,996 filed 21 Oct. 2011,and International Application PCT/US11/61437 filed 18 Nov. 2011, each ofwhich is incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD

The current application is related to environmental-conditioning systemscontrolled by intelligent controllers and, in particular, to anintelligent-thermostat-controlled HVAC system that detects andameliorates control coupling between intelligent thermostats.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY

While substantial effort and attention continues toward the developmentof newer and more sustainable energy supplies, the conservation ofenergy by increased energy efficiency remains crucial to the world'senergy future. According to an October 2010 report from the U.S.Department of Energy, heating and cooling account for 56% of the energyuse in a typical U.S. home, making it the largest energy expense formost homes. Along with improvements in the physical plant associatedwith home heating and cooling (e.g., improved insulation, higherefficiency furnaces), substantial increases in energy efficiency can beachieved by better control and regulation of home heating and coolingequipment. By activating heating, ventilation, and air conditioning(HVAC) equipment for judiciously selected time intervals and carefullychosen operating levels, substantial energy can be saved while at thesame time keeping the living space suitably comfortable for itsoccupants.

Historically, however, most known HVAC thermostatic control systems havetended to fall into one of two opposing categories, neither of which isbelieved be optimal in most practical home environments. In a firstcategory are many simple, non-programmable home thermostats, eachtypically consisting of a single mechanical or electrical dial forsetting a desired temperature and a single HEAT-FAN-OFF-AC switch. Whilebeing easy to use for even the most unsophisticated occupant, anyenergy-saving control activity, such as adjusting the nighttimetemperature or turning off all heating/cooling just before departing thehome, must be performed manually by the user. As such, substantialenergy-saving opportunities are often missed for all but the mostvigilant users. Moreover, more advanced energy-saving settings are notprovided, such as the ability to specify a custom temperature swing,i.e., the difference between the desired set temperature and actualcurrent temperature (such as 1 to 3 degrees) required to trigger turn-onof the heating/cooling unit.

In a second category, on the other hand, are many programmablethermostats, which have become more prevalent in recent years in view ofEnergy Star (US) and TCO (Europe) standards, and which have progressedconsiderably in the number of different settings for an HVAC system thatcan be individually manipulated. Unfortunately, however, users are oftenintimidated by a dizzying array of switches and controls laid out invarious configurations on the face of the thermostat or behind a paneldoor on the thermostat, and seldom adjust the manufacturer defaults tooptimize their own energy usage. Thus, even though the installedprogrammable thermostats in a large number of homes are technologicallycapable of operating the HVAC equipment with energy-saving profiles, itis often the case that only the one-size-fits-all manufacturer defaultprofiles are ever implemented in a large number of homes. Indeed, in anunfortunately large number of cases, a home user may permanently operatethe unit in a “temporary” or “hold” mode, manually manipulating thedisplayed set temperature as if the unit were a simple, non-programmablethermostat.

At a more general level, because of the fact that human beings mustinevitably be involved, there is a tension that arises between (i) theamount of energy-saving sophistication that can be offered by an HVACcontrol system, and (ii) the extent to which that energy-savingsophistication can be put to practical, everyday use in a large numberof homes. Similar issues arise in the context of multi-unit apartmentbuildings, hotels, retail stores, office buildings, industrialbuildings, and more generally any living space or work space having oneor more HVAC systems. Other issues arise as would be apparent to oneskilled in the art upon reading the present disclosure.

It is to be appreciated that although exemplary embodiments arepresented herein for the particular context of HVAC system control,there are a wide variety of other resource usage contexts for which theembodiments are readily applicable including, but not limited to, waterusage, air usage, the usage of other natural resources, and the usage ofother (i.e., non-HVAC-related) forms of energy, as would be apparent tothe skilled artisan in view of the present disclosure. Therefore, suchapplication of the embodiments in such other resource usage contexts isnot outside the scope of the present teachings.

Provided according to some embodiments is programmable device, such athermostat, for controlling an HVAC system. The programmable deviceincludes high-power consuming circuitry adapted and programmed toperform while in an active state a plurality of high power activitiesincluding interfacing with a user, the high-power consuming circuitryusing substantially less power while in an inactive state or sleepstate. The device also includes low-power consuming circuitry adaptedand programmed to perform a plurality of low power activities, includingfor example causing the high-power circuitry to transition from theinactive to active states; polling sensors such as temperature andoccupancy sensors; and switching on or off an HVAC functions. The devicealso includes power stealing circuitry adapted to harvest power from anHVAC triggering circuit for turning on and off an HVAC system function;and a power storage medium, such as a rechargeable battery, adapted tostore power harvested by the power stealing circuitry for use by atleast the high-power consuming circuitry such that the high-powerconsuming circuitry can temporarily operate in an active state whileusing energy at a greater rate than can be safely harvested by the powerstealing circuitry without inadvertently switching the HVAC function.Examples of the high power activities includes wireless communication;driving display circuitry; displaying a graphical information to a user;and performing calculations relating to learning.

According to some embodiments, the high-power consuming circuitryincludes a microprocessor and is located on a head unit, and thelow-power consuming circuitry includes a microcontroller and is locatedon a backplate.

The current application is related to environmental-conditioning systemscontrolled by intelligent controllers and, in particular, to anintelligent-thermostat-controlled HVAC system that detects andameliorates control coupling between intelligent thermostats. Controlcoupling can lead to inefficient HVAC operation. When control couplingis detected, a settings-adjustment directive is sent to at least oneintelligent thermostat to adjust one or more intelligent-thermostatsettings, including an HVAC-cycle-initiation delay parameter, swingparameter, and a parameter that indicates whether or not an intelligentthermostat should first obtain confirmation or permission beforeinitiating an HVAC cycle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A illustrates a perspective view of a versatile sensing andcontrol unit (VSCU unit) according to an embodiment;

FIGS. 1B-1C illustrate the VSCU unit as it is being controlled by thehand of a user according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2A illustrates the VSCU unit as installed in a house having an HVACsystem and a set of control wires extending therefrom;

FIG. 2B illustrates an exemplary diagram of the HVAC system of FIG. 2A;

FIGS. 3A-3K illustrate user temperature adjustment based on rotation ofthe outer ring along with an ensuing user interface display according toone embodiment;

FIG. 4 illustrates a data input functionality provided by the userinterface of the VSCU unit according to an embodiment;

FIGS. 5A-5B illustrate a similar data input functionality provided bythe user interface of the VSCU unit for answering various questionsduring the set up interview;

FIGS. 6A-6C illustrate some of the many examples of user interfacedisplays provided by the VSCU unit according to embodiments;

FIG. 7 illustrates an exploded perspective view of the VSCU unit and anHVAC-coupling wall dock according to an embodiment;

FIGS. 8A-B illustrates conceptual diagrams of HVAC-coupling wall docks,according to some embodiments;

FIG. 9 illustrates an exploded perspective view of the VSCU unit and anHVAC-coupling wall dock according to an embodiment;

FIGS. 10A-10C illustrate conceptual diagrams representative ofadvantageous scenarios in which multiple VSCU units are installed in ahome or other space according to embodiments in which the home (or otherspace) does not have a wireless data network;

FIG. 10D illustrates cycle time plots for two HVAC systems in a two-zonehome heating (or cooling) configuration, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 11 illustrates a conceptual diagram representative of anadvantageous scenario in which one or more VSCU units are installed in ahome that is equipped with WiFi wireless connectivity and access to theInternet;

FIG. 12 illustrates a conceptual diagram of a larger overall energymanagement network as enabled by the VSCU units and VSCU EfficiencyPlatform described herein;

FIGS. 13A-13B and FIGS. 14A-14B illustrate examples of remote graphicaluser interface displays presented to the user on their data appliancefor managing their one or more VSCU units and/or otherwise interactingwith their VSCU Efficiency Platform equipment or data according to anembodiment;

FIGS. 15A-15D illustrate time plots of a normal set point temperatureschedule versus an actual operating set point plot corresponding to anexemplary operation of an “auto away/auto arrival” algorithm accordingto a preferred embodiment;

FIGS. 16A-16D illustrate one example of set point schedule modificationbased on occupancy patterns and/or corrective manual input patternsassociated with repeated instances of “auto-away” mode and/or“auto-arrival” mode operation according to an embodiment;

FIGS. 17A-D illustrates a dynamic user interface for encouraging reducedenergy use according to a preferred embodiment;

FIGS. 18A-B illustrate a thermostat having a user-friendly interface,according to some embodiments;

FIG. 18C illustrates a cross-sectional view of a shell portion of aframe of the thermostat of FIGS. 18A-B;

FIGS. 19A-19B illustrate exploded front and rear perspective views,respectively, of a thermostat with respect to its two main components,which are the head unit and the back plate;

FIGS. 20A-20B illustrate exploded front and rear perspective views,respectively, of the head unit with respect to its primary components;

FIGS. 21A-21B illustrate exploded front and rear perspective views,respectively, of the head unit frontal assembly with respect to itsprimary components;

FIGS. 22A-22B illustrate exploded front and rear perspective views,respectively, of the backplate unit with respect to its primarycomponents;

FIG. 23 illustrates a perspective view of a partially assembled headunit front, according to some embodiments;

FIG. 24 illustrates a head-on view of the head unit circuit board,according to one embodiment;

FIG. 25 illustrates a rear view of the backplate circuit board,according to one embodiment;

FIGS. 26A-26C illustrate conceptual examples of the sleep-wake timingdynamic, at progressively larger time scales; according to oneembodiment;

FIG. 27 illustrates a self-descriptive overview of the functionalsoftware, firmware, and/or programming architecture of the head unitmicroprocessor, according to one embodiment;

FIG. 28 illustrates a self-descriptive overview of the functionalsoftware, firmware, and/or programming architecture of the backplatemicrocontroller, according to one embodiment;

FIG. 29 illustrates a view of the wiring terminals as presented to theuser when the backplate is exposed; according to one embodiment;

FIGS. 30A-30B illustrate restricting user establishment of a newscheduled set point that is within a predetermined time separation,according to one embodiment;

FIGS. 31A-31D illustrate time to temperature display to a user for oneimplementation;

FIG. 32 illustrates an example of a preferred thermostat readout when asecond stage heating facility is invoked, according to one embodiment;

FIGS. 33A-33C illustrate actuating a second stage heat facility during asingle stage heating cycle using time to temperature (T2T) informationaccording to a preferred embodiment; and

FIG. 34 illustrates a user interface screen presented to a user by athermostat in relation to a “selectably automated” testing for heat pumppolarity according to a preferred embodiment.

FIG. 35 illustrates a multi-region building in which thermostats thateach controls a different region may become control coupled.

FIG. 36 lists representative variables and parameters associated withthermostat operation within the multi-region building shown in FIG. 35.

FIGS. 37-38C illustrate a commonly observed operation pattern for twocontrol-coupled thermostats.

FIGS. 39A-40B illustrate reasons underlying an observed dependence ofHVAC heating and/or cooling efficiency on HVAC-cycling frequency.

FIGS. 40A-B illustrate a dependence of HVAC efficiency on HVAC-cyclingfrequency.

FIGS. 41A-B illustrate a general computational model for a number ofintelligent thermostats and a monitor entity that together implement acontrol-coupled-thermostat decoupling method.

FIG. 42 illustrates certain variables and data involved in thecontrol-coupled-thermostat decoupling method illustrated in FIGS.41A-49.

FIG. 43 provides a control-flow diagram for a monitor cycle-reporthandler invoked when the monitor receives a report message from athermostat, queued for transmission in step 4110 of FIG. 41A, to reportan HVAC-power-on event or an HVAC-power-off event.

FIG. 44 provides a control-flow diagram for thethermostat-setting-adjustment routine called in step 4320 of FIG. 43.

FIG. 45 provides a control-flow routine for a thermostat event handlerthat handles reception of a settings-update message, received by thethermostat from the monitor, sent by the monitor in step 4418 of thethermostat-setting-adjustment routine shown in FIG. 44.

FIG. 46 shows a temperature-excursion event handler that handles adetected excursion of the internal temperature of a region, sensed by athermostat, to a temperature outside of the range of temperatures fromthe set point minus the swing to the set point.

FIG. 47 provides a control-flow diagram for the cycle-on routine calledin step 4608 of the temperature-excursion event handler shown in FIG.46.

FIG. 48 provides a control-flow diagram for a thermostat event handlerthat handles reception of a cycle-on confirmation message from amonitor.

FIG. 49 provides a control-flow diagram for an intelligent-thermostatevent-handling routine that handles expiration of a delay timer set instep 4716 of the cycle-on routine shown in FIG. 47.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject matter of this patent specification relates to the subjectmatter of the following commonly assigned applications, each of which isincorporated by reference herein: U.S. Ser. No. 12/881,430 filed Sep.14, 2010; U.S. Ser. No. 12/881,463 filed Sep. 14, 2010; U.S. Prov. Ser.No. 61/415,771 filed Nov. 19, 2010; U.S. Prov. Ser. No. 61/429,093 filedDec. 31, 2010; U.S. Ser. No. 12/984,602 filed Jan. 4, 2011; U.S. Ser.No. 12/987,257 filed Jan. 10, 2011; U.S. Ser. No. 13/033,573 filed Feb.23, 2011; U.S. Ser. No. 29/386,021, filed Feb. 23, 2011; U.S. Ser. No.13/034,666 filed Feb. 24, 2011; U.S. Ser. No. 13/034,674 filed Feb. 24,2011; U.S. Ser. No. 13/034,678 filed Feb. 24, 2011; U.S. Ser. No.13/038,191 filed Mar. 1, 2011; U.S. Ser. No. 13/038,206 filed Mar. 1,2011; U.S. Ser. No. 29/399,609 filed Aug. 16, 2011; U.S. Ser. No.29/399,614 filed Aug. 16, 2011; U.S. Ser. No. 29/399,617 filed Aug. 16,2011; U.S. Ser. No. 29/399,618 filed Aug. 16, 2011; U.S. Ser. No.29/399,621 filed Aug. 16, 2011; U.S. Ser. No. 29/399,623 filed Aug. 16,2011; U.S. Ser. No. 29/399,625 filed Aug. 16, 2011; U.S. Ser. No.29/399,627 filed Aug. 16, 2011; U.S. Ser. No. 29/399,630 filed Aug. 16,2011; U.S. Ser. No. 29/399,632 filed Aug. 16, 2011; U.S. Ser. No.29/399,633 filed Aug. 16, 2011; U.S. Ser. No. 29/399,636 filed Aug. 16,2011; U.S. Ser. No. 29/399,637 filed Aug. 16, 2011; U.S. Ser. No.13/199,108, filed Aug. 17, 2011; U.S. Ser. No. 13/267,871 filed Oct. 6,2011; U.S. Ser. No. 13/267,877 filed Oct. 6, 2011; U.S. Ser. No.13/269,501, filed Oct. 7, 2011; U.S. Ser. No. 29/404,096 filed Oct. 14,2011; U.S. Ser. No. 29/404,097 filed Oct. 14, 2011; U.S. Ser. No.29/404,098 filed Oct. 14, 2011; U.S. Ser. No. 29/404,099 filed Oct. 14,2011; U.S. Ser. No. 29/404,101 filed Oct. 14, 2011; U.S. Ser. No.29/404,103 filed Oct. 14, 2011; U.S. Ser. No. 29/404,104 filed Oct. 14,2011; U.S. Ser. No. 29/404,105 filed Oct. 14, 2011; U.S. Ser. No.13/275,307 filed Oct. 17, 2011; U.S. Ser. No. 13/275,311 filed Oct. 17,2011; U.S. Ser. No. 13/317,423 filed Oct. 17, 2011; U.S. Ser. No.13/279,151 filed Oct. 21, 2011; U.S. Ser. No. 13/317,557 filed Oct. 21,2011; U.S. Prov. Ser. No. 61/627,996 filed Oct. 21, 2011; PCT/US11/61339filed Nov. 18, 2011; PCT/US11/61344 filed Nov. 18, 2011; PCT/US11/61365filed Nov. 18, 2011; PCT/US11/61379 filed Nov. 18, 2011; PCT/US11/61391filed Nov. 18, 2011; PCT/US11/61479 filed Nov. 18, 2011; PCT/US11/61457filed Nov. 18, 2011; and PCT/US11/61470 filed Nov. 18, 2011;PCT/US11/61339 filed Nov. 18, 2011; PCT/US11/61491 filed Nov. 18, 2011;PCT/US11/61437 filed Nov. 18, 2011; and PCT/US11/61503 filed Nov. 18,2011. The above-referenced patent applications are collectivelyreferenced herein as “the commonly assigned incorporated applications.”

Provided according to one or more embodiments are systems, methods,computer program products, and related business methods for controllingone or more HVAC systems based on one or more versatile sensing andcontrol units (VSCU units), each VSCU unit being configured and adaptedto provide sophisticated, customized, energy-saving HVAC controlfunctionality while at the same time being visually appealing,non-intimidating, elegant to behold, and delightfully easy to use. EachVSCU unit is advantageously provided with a selectively layeredfunctionality, such that unsophisticated users are only exposed to asimple user interface, but such that advanced users can access andmanipulate many different energy-saving and energy trackingcapabilities. Importantly, even for the case of unsophisticated userswho are only exposed to the simple user interface, the VSCU unitprovides advanced energy-saving functionality that runs in thebackground, the VSCU unit quietly using multi-sensor technology to“learn” about the home's heating and cooling environment and optimizingthe energy-saving settings accordingly.

The VSCU unit also “learns” about the users themselves, beginning with acongenial “setup interview” in which the user answers a few simplequestions, and then continuing over time using multi-sensor technologyto detect user occupancy patterns (e.g., what times of day they are homeand away) and by tracking the way the user controls the set temperatureon the dial over time. The multi-sensor technology is advantageouslyhidden away inside the VSCU unit itself, thus avoiding the hassle,complexity, and intimidation factors associated with multiple externalsensor-node units. On an ongoing basis, the VSCU unit processes thelearned and sensed information according to one or more advanced controlalgorithms, and then automatically adjusts its environmental controlsettings to optimize energy usage while at the same time maintaining theliving space at optimal levels according to the learned occupancypatterns and comfort preferences of the user. Even further, the VSCUunit is programmed to promote energy-saving behavior in the usersthemselves by virtue of displaying, at judiciously selected times on itsvisually appealing user interface, information that encourages reducedenergy usage, such as historical energy cost performance, forecastedenergy costs, and even fun game-style displays of congratulations andencouragement.

Advantageously, the selectively layered functionality of the VSCU unitallows it to be effective for a variety of different technologicalcircumstances in home and business environments, thereby making the sameVSCU unit readily saleable to a wide variety of customers. For simpleenvironments having no wireless home network or internet connectivity,the VSCU unit operates effectively in a standalone mode, being capableof learning and adapting to its environment based on multi-sensortechnology and user input, and optimizing HVAC settings accordingly.However, for environments that do indeed have home network or internetconnectivity, the VSCU unit operates effectively in a network-connectedmode to offer a rich variety of additional capabilities.

When the VSCU unit is connected to the internet via a home network, suchas through IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi) connectivity, additional capabilitiesprovided according to one or more embodiments include, but are notlimited to: providing real time or aggregated home energy performancedata to a utility company, VSCU data service provider, VSCU units inother homes, or other data destinations; receiving real time oraggregated home energy performance data from a utility company, VSCUdata service provider, VSCU units in other homes, or other data sources;receiving new energy control algorithms or other software/firmwareupgrades from one or more VSCU data service providers or other sources;receiving current and forecasted weather information for inclusion inenergy-saving control algorithm processing; receiving user controlcommands from the user's computer, network-connected television, smartphone, or other stationary or portable data communication appliance(hereinafter collectively referenced as the user's “digital appliance”);providing an interactive user interface to the user through theirdigital appliance; receiving control commands and information from anexternal energy management advisor, such as a subscription-based serviceaimed at leveraging collected information from multiple sources togenerate the best possible energy-saving control commands or profilesfor their subscribers; receiving control commands and information froman external energy management authority, such as a utility company towhom limited authority has been voluntarily given to control the VSCU inexchange for rebates or other cost incentives (e.g., for energyemergencies, “spare the air” days, etc.); providing alarms, alerts, orother information to the user on their digital appliance (and/or a userdesignee such as a home repair service) based on VSCU-sensedHVAC-related events (e.g., the house is not heating up or cooling downas expected); providing alarms, alerts, or other information to the useron their digital appliance (and/or a user designee such as a homesecurity service or the local police department) based on VSCU-sensednon-HVAC related events (e.g., an intruder alert as sensed by the VSCU'smulti-sensor technology); and a variety of other useful functionsenabled by network connectivity as disclosed in one or more of theexamples provided further hereinbelow.

It is to be appreciated that while one or more embodiments is detailedherein for the context of a residential home, such as a single-familyhouse, the scope of the present teachings is not so limited, the presentteachings being likewise applicable, without limitation, to duplexes,townhomes, multi-unit apartment buildings, hotels, retail stores, officebuildings, industrial buildings, and more generally any living space orwork space having one or more HVAC systems. It is to be furtherappreciated that while the terms user, customer, installer, homeowner,occupant, guest, tenant, landlord, repair person, and the like may beused to refer to the person or persons who are interacting with the VSCUunit or other device or user interface in the context of someparticularly advantageous situations described herein, these referencesare by no means to be considered as limiting the scope of the presentteachings with respect to the person or persons who are performing suchactions. Thus, for example, the terms user, customer, purchaser,installer, subscriber, and homeowner may often refer to the same personin the case of a single-family residential dwelling, because the head ofthe household is often the person who makes the purchasing decision,buys the unit, and installs and configures the unit, and is also one ofthe users of the unit and is a customer of the utility company and/orVSCU data service provider. However, in other scenarios, such as alandlord-tenant environment, the customer may be the landlord withrespect to purchasing the unit, the installer may be a local apartmentsupervisor, a first user may be the tenant, and a second user may againbe the landlord with respect to remote control functionality.Importantly, while the identity of the person performing the action maybe germane to a particular advantage provided by one or more of theembodiments—for example, the password-protected temperature governancefunctionality described further herein may be particularly advantageouswhere the landlord holds the sole password and can prevent energy wasteby the tenant—such identity should not be construed in the descriptionsthat follow as necessarily limiting the scope of the present teachingsto those particular individuals having those particular identities.

As used herein, “set point” or “temperature set point” refers to atarget temperature setting of a temperature control system, such as oneor more of the VSCU units described herein, as set by a user orautomatically according to a schedule. As would be readily appreciatedby a person skilled in the art, many of the disclosed thermostaticfunctionalities described hereinbelow apply, in counterpart application,to both the heating and cooling contexts, with the only different beingin the particular set points and directions of temperature movement. Toavoid unnecessary repetition, some examples of the embodiments may bepresented herein in only one of these contexts, without mentioning theother. Therefore, where a particular embodiment or example is set forthhereinbelow in the context of home heating, the scope of the presentteachings is likewise applicable to the counterpart context of homecooling, and vice versa, to the extent such counterpart applicationwould be logically consistent with the disclosed principles as adjudgedby the skilled artisan.

FIG. 1A illustrates a perspective view of a versatile sensing andcontrol unit (VSCU unit) 100 according to an embodiment. Unlike so manyprior art thermostats, the VSCU unit 100 preferably has a sleek, elegantappearance that does not detract from home decoration, and indeed canserve as a visually pleasing centerpiece for the immediate location inwhich it is installed. The VSCU unit 100 comprises a main body 108 thatis preferably circular with a diameter of about 8 cm, and that has avisually pleasing outer finish, such as a satin nickel or chrome finish.Separated from the main body 108 by a small peripheral gap 110 is acap-like structure comprising a rotatable outer ring 106, a sensor ring104, and a circular display monitor 102. The outer ring 106 preferablyhas an outer finish identical to that of the main body 108, while thesensor ring 104 and circular display monitor 102 have a common circularglass (or plastic) outer covering that is gently arced in an outwarddirection and that provides a sleek yet solid and durable-lookingoverall appearance. The sensor ring 104 contains any of a wide varietyof sensors including, without limitation, infrared sensors,visible-light sensors, and acoustic sensors. Preferably, the glass (orplastic) that covers the sensor ring 104 is smoked or mirrored such thatthe sensors themselves are not visible to the user. An air ventingfunctionality is preferably provided, such as by virtue of theperipheral gap 110, which allows the ambient air to be sensed by theinternal sensors without the need for visually unattractive “gills” orgrill-like vents.

FIGS. 1B-1C illustrate the VSCU unit 100 as it is being controlled bythe hand of a user according to an embodiment. In one embodiment, forthe combined purposes of inspiring user confidence and further promotingvisual and functional elegance, the VSCU unit 100 is controlled by onlytwo types of user input, the first being a rotation of the outer ring106 (FIG. 1B), and the second being an inward push on the outer ring 106(FIG. 1C) until an audible and/or tactile “click” occurs. For oneembodiment, the inward push of FIG. 1C only causes the outer ring 106 tomove forward, while in another embodiment the entire cap-like structure,including both the outer ring 106 and the glass covering of the sensorring 104 and circular display monitor 102, move inwardly together whenpushed. Preferably, the sensor ring 104, the circular display monitor102, and their common glass covering do not rotate with outer ring 106.

By virtue of user rotation of the outer ring 106 (referenced hereafteras a “ring rotation”) and the inward pushing of the outer ring 106(referenced hereinafter as an “inward click”) responsive to intuitiveand easy-to-read prompts on the circular display monitor 102, the VSCUunit 100 is advantageously capable of receiving all necessaryinformation from the user for basic setup and operation. Preferably, theouter ring 106 is mechanically mounted in a manner that provides asmooth yet viscous feel to the user, for further promoting an overallfeeling of elegance while also reducing spurious or unwanted rotationalinputs. For one embodiment, the VSCU unit 100 recognizes threefundamental user inputs by virtue of the ring rotation and inward click:(1) ring rotate left, (2) ring rotate right, and (3) inward click. Forother embodiments, more complex fundamental user inputs can berecognized, such as “double-click” or “triple-click” inward presses, andsuch as speed-sensitive or acceleration-sensitive rotational inputs(e.g., a very large and fast leftward rotation specifies an “Away”occupancy state, while a very large and fast rightward rotationspecifies an “Occupied” occupancy state).

Although the scope of the present teachings is not so limited, it ispreferred that there not be provided a discrete mechanical HEAT-COOLtoggle switch, or HEAT-OFF-COOL selection switch, or HEAT-FAN-OFF-COOLswitch anywhere on the VSCU unit 100, this omission contributing to theoverall visual simplicity and elegance of the VSCU unit 100 while alsofacilitating the provision of advanced control abilities that wouldotherwise not be permitted by the existence of such a switch. It isfurther highly preferred that there be no electrical proxy for such adiscrete mechanical switch (e.g., an electrical push button orelectrical limit switch directly driving a mechanical relay). Instead,it is preferred that the switching between these settings be performedunder computerized control of the VSCU unit 100 responsive to itsmulti-sensor readings, its programming (optionally in conjunction withexternally provided commands/data provided over a data network), and/orthe above-described “ring rotation” and “inward click” user inputs.

The VSCU unit 100 comprises physical hardware and firmwareconfigurations, along with hardware, firmware, and software programmingthat is capable of carrying out the functionalities described in theinstant disclosure. In view of the instant disclosure, a person skilledin the art would be able to realize the physical hardware and firmwareconfigurations and the hardware, firmware, and software programming thatembody the physical and functional features described herein withoutundue experimentation using publicly available hardware and firmwarecomponents and known programming tools and development platforms.Similar comments apply to described devices and functionalitiesextrinsic to the VSCU unit 100, such as devices and programs used inremote data storage and data processing centers that receive datacommunications from and/or that provide data communications to the VSCUunit 100. By way of example, references hereinbelow to one or morepreinstalled databases inside the VSCU unit 100 that are keyed todifferent ZIP codes can be carried out using flash memory technologysimilar to that used in global positioning based navigation devices. Byway of further example, references hereinbelow to machine learning andmathematical optimization algorithms, as carried out respectively by theVSCU unit 100 in relation to home occupancy prediction and set pointoptimization, for example, can be carried out using one or more knowntechnologies, models, and/or mathematical strategies including, but notlimited to, artificial neural networks, Bayesian networks, geneticprogramming, inductive logic programming, support vector machines,decision tree learning, clustering analysis, dynamic programming,stochastic optimization, linear regression, quadratic regression,binomial regression, logistic regression, simulated annealing, and otherlearning, forecasting, and optimization techniques.

FIG. 2A illustrates the VSCU unit 100 as installed in a house 201 havingan HVAC system 299 and a set of control wires 298 extending therefrom.The VSCU unit 100 is, of course, extremely well suited for installationby contractors in new home construction and/or in the context ofcomplete HVAC system replacement. However, one alternative key businessopportunity leveraged according to one embodiment is the marketing andretailing of the VSCU unit 100 as a replacement thermostat in anexisting home, wherein the customer (and/or an HVAC professional)disconnects their old thermostat from the existing wires 298 andsubstitutes in the VSCU unit 100.

In either case, the VSCU unit 100 can advantageously serve as an“inertial wedge” for inserting an entire energy-saving technologyplatform into the home. Simply stated, because most homeownersunderstand and accept the need for home to have a thermostat, even themost curmudgeonly and techno-phobic homeowners will readily accept thesimple, non-intimidating, and easy-to-use VSCU unit 100 into theirhomes. Once in the home, of course, the VSCU unit 100 willadvantageously begin saving energy for a sustainable planet and savingmoney for the homeowner, including the curmudgeons. Additionally,however, as homeowners “warm up” to the VSCU unit 100 platform and beginto further appreciate its delightful elegance and seamless operation,they will be more inclined to take advantage of its advanced features,and they will furthermore be more open and willing to embrace a varietyof compatible follow-on products and services as are described furtherhereinbelow. This is an advantageous win-win situation on many fronts,because the planet is benefitting from the propagation ofenergy-efficient technology, while at the same time the manufacturer ofthe VSCU unit and/or their authorized business partners can furtherexpand their business revenues and prospects. For clarity of disclosure,the term “VSCU Efficiency Platform” refers herein to products andservices that are technologically compatible with the VSCU unit 100and/or with devices and programs that support the operation of the VSCUunit 100.

FIG. 2B illustrates an exemplary diagram of the HVAC system 299 of FIG.2A. HVAC system 299 provides heating, cooling, ventilation, and/or airhandling for an enclosure, such as the single-family home 201 depictedin FIG. 2A. The HVAC system 299 depicts a forced air type heatingsystem, although according to other embodiments, other types of systemscould be used. In heating, heating coils or elements 242 within airhandler 240 provide a source of heat using electricity or gas via line236. Cool air is drawn from the enclosure via return air duct 246through filter 270 using fan 238 and is heated by the heating coils orelements 242. The heated air flows back into the enclosure at one ormore locations through a supply air duct system 252 and supply airgrills such as grill 250. In cooling, an outside compressor 230 passes agas such as Freon through a set of heat exchanger coils to cool the gas.The gas then goes via line 232 to the cooling coils 234 in the airhandlers 240 where it expands, cools and cools the air being circulatedthrough the enclosure via fan 238. According to some embodiments ahumidifier 262 is also provided which moistens the air using waterprovided by a water line 264. Although not shown in FIG. 2B, accordingto some embodiments the HVAC system for the enclosure has other knowncomponents such as dedicated outside vents to pass air to and from theoutside, one or more dampers to control airflow within the duct systems,an emergency heating unit, and a dehumidifier. The HVAC system isselectively actuated via control electronics 212 that communicate withthe VSCU 100 over control wires 298.

FIGS. 3A-3K illustrate user temperature adjustment based on rotation ofthe outer ring 106 along with an ensuing user interface displayaccording to one embodiment. For one embodiment, prior to the timedepicted in FIG. 3A in which the user has walked up to the VSCU unit100, the VSCU unit 100 has set the circular display monitor 102 to beentirely blank (“dark”), which corresponds to a state of inactivity whenno person has come near the unit. As the user walks up to the display,their presence is detected by one or more sensors in the VSCU unit 100at which point the circular display monitor 102 is automatically turnedon. When this happens, as illustrated in FIG. 3A, the circular displaymonitor 102 displays the current set point in a large font at a centerreadout 304. Also displayed is a set point icon 302 disposed along aperiphery of the circular display monitor 102 at a location that isspatially representative the current set point. Although it is purelyelectronic, the set point icon 302 is reminiscent of older mechanicalthermostat dials, and advantageously imparts a feeling of familiarityfor many users as well as a sense of tangible control.

Notably, the example of FIG. 3A assumes a scenario for which the actualcurrent temperature of 68 is equal to the set point temperature of 68when the user has walked up to the VSCU unit 100. For a case in whichthe user walks up to the VSCU unit 100 when the actual currenttemperature is different than the set point temperature, the displaywould also include an actual temperature readout and a trailing icon,which are described further below in the context of FIGS. 3B-3K.

Referring now to FIG. 3B, as the user turns the outer ring 106clockwise, the increasing value of the set point temperature isinstantaneously provided at the center readout 304, and the set pointicon 302 moves in a clockwise direction around the periphery of thecircular display monitor 102 to a location representative of theincreasing set point. Whenever the actual current temperature isdifferent than the set point temperature, an actual temperature readout306 is provided in relatively small digits along the periphery of thecircular a location spatially representative the actual currenttemperature. Further provided is a trailing icon 308, which couldalternatively be termed a tail icon or difference-indicating, thatextends between the location of the actual temperature readout 306 andthe set point icon 302. Further provided is a time-to-temperaturereadout 310 that is indicative of a prediction, as computed by the VSCUunit 100, of the time interval required for the HVAC system to bring thetemperature from the actual current temperature to the set pointtemperature.

FIGS. 3C-3K illustrate views of the circular display monitor 102 atexemplary instants in time after the user set point change that wascompleted in FIG. 3B (assuming, of course, that the circular displaymonitor 102 has remained active, such as during a preset post-activitytime period, responsive to the continued proximity of the user, orresponsive the detected proximity of another occupant). Thus, at FIG.3C, the current actual temperature is about halfway up from the old setpoint to the new set point, and in FIG. 3D the current actualtemperature is almost at the set point temperature. As illustrated inFIG. 3E, both the trailing icon 308 and the actual temperature readout306 disappear when the current actual temperature reaches the set pointtemperature and the heating system is turned off. Then, as typicallyhappens in home heating situations, the actual temperature begins to sag(FIG. 3F) until the permissible temperature swing is reached (which is 2degrees in this example, see FIG. 3G), at which point the heating systemis again turned on and the temperature rises to the set point (FIGS.3H-3I) and the heating system is turned off. The current actualtemperature then begins to sag again (FIGS. 3J-3K), and the cyclecontinues. Advantageously, by virtue of the user interface functionalityof FIGS. 3A-3K including the time-to-temperature readout 310, the useris provided with a fast, intuitive, visually pleasing overview of systemoperation, as well as a quick indication of how much longer the heatingsystem (or cooling system in counterpart embodiments) will remain turnedon. It is to be appreciated that the use of 2 degrees as the permissibletemperature swing in FIGS. 3C-3K is only for purposes of example, andthat different amounts of permissible temperature swing may beapplicable at different times according to the particular automatedcontrol algorithms, defaults, user settings, user overrides, etc. thatmay then be in application at those times.

For one embodiment, the VSCU unit 100 is designed to be entirely silentunless a user has walked up and begun controlling the unit.Advantageously, there are no clicking-type annoyances when the heatingor cooling units are activated as with conventional prior artthermostats. Optionally, the VSCU unit 100 can be configured tosynthesize artificial audible clicks, such as can be output through apiezoelectric speaker, to provide “tick” feedback as the user dialsthrough different temperature settings.

FIG. 4 illustrates a data input functionality provided by the userinterface of the VSCU unit 100 according to an embodiment, for aparticular non-limiting example in which the user is asked, during acongenial setup interview (which can occur at initial VSCU unitinstallation or at any subsequent time that the user may request), toenter their ZIP code. Responsive to a display of digits 0-9 distributedaround a periphery of the circular display monitor 102 along with aselection icon 402, the user turns the outer ring 106 to move theselection icon 402 to the appropriate digit, and then provides an inwardclick command to enter that digit.

For one embodiment, the VSCU unit 100 is programmed to provide asoftware lockout functionality, wherein a person is required to enter apassword or combination before the VSCU unit 100 will accept theircontrol inputs. The user interface for password request and entry can besimilar to that shown in FIG. 4. The software lockout functionality canbe highly useful, for example, for Mom and Dad in preventing theirteenager from making unwanted changes to the set temperature, forvarious landlord-tenant scenarios, and in a variety of other situations.

FIGS. 5A-5B illustrate a similar data input functionality provided bythe user interface of the VSCU unit 100 for answering various questionsduring the set up interview. The user rotates the outer ring 106 untilthe desired answer is highlighted, and then provides an inward clickcommand to enter that answer.

FIGS. 6A-6C illustrate some of the many examples of user interfacedisplays provided by the VSCU unit 100 according to embodiments directedto influencing energy-conscious behavior on the part of the user. Atjudiciously selected times (for example, on the same day that themonthly utility bill is e-mailed to the homeowner), or upon userrequest, or at other times including random points in time, the VSCUunit 100 displays information on its visually appealing user interfacethat encourages reduced energy usage. In one example shown in FIG. 6A,the user is shown a message of congratulations regarding a particularenergy-saving (and therefore money-saving) accomplishment they haveachieved for their household. It has been found particularly effectiveto include pictures or symbols, such as leaf icons 602, that evokepleasant feelings or emotions in the user for providing positivereinforcement of energy-saving behavior. Although not believed to be asadvantageous as positive reinforcement, it is within the scope of thepresent teachings for the VSCU unit 100 to show messages of negativereinforcement as well, such as by displaying unpleasant pictures ofsmokestacks churning out black smoke to depict energy-hoggingperformance.

FIG. 6B illustrates another example of an energy performance displaythat can influence user energy-saving behavior, comprising a display ofthe household's recent energy use on a daily basis (or weekly, monthly,etc.) and providing a positive-feedback leaf icon 602 for days ofrelatively low energy usage. Notably, messages such as those of FIG. 6Acan be displayed for customers who are not Wi-Fi enabled, based on theknown cycle times and durations of the home HVAC equipment as tracked bythe VSCU unit 100. Indeed, although a bit more involved, messages suchas those of FIG. 6A could also be displayed for customers who are notWi-Fi enabled, based on the known HVAC cycle times and durationscombined with pre-programmed estimates of energy costs for their ZIPcode and/or user-entered historical energy cost information from theirpast utility bills as may be provided, for example, during the congenialsetup interview.

For another example shown in FIG. 6C, the user is shown informationabout their energy performance status or progress relative to apopulation of other VSCU-equipped owners who are similarly situated froman energy usage perspective. For this type of display, and similardisplays in which data from other homes and/or central databases isrequired, it is required that the VSCU unit 100 be network-enabled. Ithas been found particularly effective to provide competitive orgame-style information to the user as an additional means to influencetheir energy-saving behavior. As illustrated in FIG. 6B,positive-feedback leaf icons 602 can be added to the display if theuser's competitive results are positive. Optionally, the leaf icons 602can be associated with a frequent flyer miles-type point-collectionscheme or carbon credit-type business method, as administered forexample by an external VSCU data service provider (see FIG. 12, infra)such there is a tangible, fiscal reward that is also associated with theemotional reward.

For some embodiments, the VSCU unit 100 is manufactured and sold as asingle, monolithic structure containing all of the required electricaland mechanical connections on the back of the unit. For someembodiments, the VSCU 100 is manufactured and/or sold in differentversions or packaging groups depending on the particular capabilities ofthe manufacturer(s) and the particular needs of the customer. Forexample, the VSCU unit 100 is provided in some embodiments as theprincipal component of a two-part combination consisting of the VSCU 100and one of a variety of dedicated docking devices, as described furtherhereinbelow.

FIG. 7 illustrates an exploded perspective view of the VSCU unit 100 andan HVAC-coupling wall dock 702 according to an embodiment. Forfirst-time customers who are going to be replacing their old thermostat,the VSCU unit 100 is provided in combination with HVAC-coupling walldock 702. The HVAC-coupling wall dock 702 comprises mechanical hardwarefor attaching to the wall and electrical terminals for connecting to theHVAC wiring 298 that will be extending out of the wall in a disconnectedstate when the old thermostat is removed. The HVAC-coupling wall dock702 is configured with an electrical connector 704 that mates to acounterpart electrical connector 705 in the VSCU 100.

For the initial installation process, the customer (or their handyman,or an HVAC professional, etc.) first installs the HVAC-coupling walldock 702, including all of the necessary mechanical connections to thewall and HVAC wiring connections to the HVAC wiring 298. Once theHVAC-coupling wall dock 702 is installed, which represents the “hardwork” of the installation process, the next task is relatively easy,which is simply to slide the VSCU unit 100 thereover to mate theelectrical connectors 704/705. Preferably, the components are configuredsuch that the HVAC-connecting wall dock 702 is entirely hiddenunderneath and inside the VSCU unit 100, such that only the visuallyappealing VSCU unit 100 is visible.

For one embodiment, the HVAC-connecting wall dock 702 is a relatively“bare bones” device having the sole essential function of facilitatingelectrical connectivity between the HVAC wiring 298 and the VSCU unit100. For another embodiment, the HVAC-coupling wall dock 702 is equippedto perform and/or facilitate, in either a duplicative sense and/or aprimary sense without limitation, one or more of the functionalitiesattributed to the VSCU unit 100 in the instant disclosure, using a setof electrical, mechanical, and/or electromechanical components 706. Oneparticularly useful functionality is for the components 706 to includepower-extraction circuitry for judiciously extracting usable power fromthe HVAC wiring 298, at least one of which will be carrying a 24-volt ACsignals in accordance with common HVAC wiring practice. Thepower-extraction circuitry converts the 24-volt AC signal into DC power(such as at 5 VDC, 3.3 VDC, etc.) that is usable by the processingcircuitry and display components of the main unit 701

The division and/or duplication of functionality between the VSCU unit100 and the HVAC-coupling wall dock 702 can be provided in manydifferent ways without departing from the scope of the presentteachings. For another embodiment, the components 706 of theHVAC-coupling wall dock 702 can include one or more sensing devices,such as an acoustic sensor, for complementing the sensors provided onthe sensor ring 104 of the VSCU unit 100. For another embodiment, thecomponents 706 can include wireless communication circuitry compatiblewith one or more wireless communication protocols, such as the Wi-Fiand/or ZigBee protocols. For another embodiment, the components 706 caninclude external AC or DC power connectors. For another embodiment, thecomponents 706 can include wired data communications jacks, such as anRJ45 Ethernet jack, an RJ11 telephone jack, or a USB connector.

The docking capability of the VSCU unit 100 according to the embodimentof FIG. 7 provides many advantages and opportunities in both atechnology sense and a business sense. Because the VSCU unit 100 can beeasily removed and replaced by even the most non-technically-savvycustomer, many upgrading and upselling opportunities are provided. Forexample, many different versions of the VSCU unit 100 can be separatelysold, the different versions having different colors, styles, themes,and so forth. Upgrading to a new VSCU unit 100 having more advancedcapabilities becomes a very easy task, and so the customer will bereadily able to take advantage of the newest display technology, sensortechnology, more memory, and so forth as the technology improves overtime.

Provided in accordance with one or more embodiments related to thedocking capability shown in FIG. 7 are further devices and features thatadvantageously promote expandability of the number of sensing andcontrol nodes that can be provided throughout the home. For oneembodiment, a tabletop docking station (not shown) is provided that iscapable of docking to a second instance of the VSCU unit 100, which istermed herein an auxiliary VSCU unit (not shown). The tabletop dockingstation and the auxiliary VSCU unit can be separately purchased by theuser, either at the same time they purchase their original VSCU unit100, or at a later time. The tabletop docking station is similar infunctionality to the HVAC-coupling wall dock 702, except that it doesnot require connection to the HVAC wiring 298 and is convenientlypowered by a standard wall outlet. For another embodiment, instead ofbeing identical to the original VSCU unit 100, the auxiliary VSCU unitcan be a differently labeled and/or differently abled version thereof.

As used herein, the term “primary VSCU unit” refers to one that iselectrically connected to actuate an HVAC system in whole or in part,which would necessarily include the first VSCU unit purchased for anyhome, while the term “auxiliary VSCU unit” refers to one or moreadditional VSCU units not electrically connected to actuate an HVACsystem in whole or in part. An auxiliary VSCU unit, when docked, willautomatically detect the primary VSCU unit and will automatically bedetected by the primary VSCU unit, such as by Wi-Fi or ZigBee wirelesscommunication. Although the primary VSCU unit will remain the soleprovider of electrical actuation signals to the HVAC system, the twoVSCU units will otherwise cooperate in unison for improved controlheating and cooling control functionality, such improvement beingenabled by virtue of the added multi-sensing functionality provided bythe auxiliary VSCU unit, as well as by virtue of the additionalprocessing power provided to accommodate more powerful and precisecontrol algorithms. Because the auxiliary VSCU unit can accept usercontrol inputs just like the primary VSCU unit, user convenience is alsoenhanced. Thus, for example, where the tabletop docking station and theauxiliary VSCU unit are placed on a nightstand next to the user's bed,the user is not required to get up and walk to the location of theprimary VSCU unit if they wish to manipulate the temperature set point,view their energy usage, or otherwise interact with the system.

A variety of different VSCU-compatible docking stations are within thescope of the present teachings. For example, in another embodiment thereis provided an auxiliary wall dock (not shown) that allows an auxiliaryVSCU unit to be mounted on a wall. The auxiliary wall dock is similar infunctionality to the tabletop docking station in that it does notprovide HVAC wiring connections, but does serve as a physical mountingpoint and provides electrical power derived from a standard wall outlet.

For one embodiment, all VSCU units sold by the manufacturer areidentical in their core functionality, each being able to serve aseither a primary VSCU unit or auxiliary VSCU unit as the case requires,although the different VSCU units may have different colors, ornamentaldesigns, memory capacities, and so forth. For this embodiment, the useris advantageously able, if they desire, to interchange the positions oftheir VSCU units by simple removal of each one from its existing dockingstation and placement into a different docking station. Among otheradvantages, there is an environmentally, technically, and commerciallyappealing ability for the customer to upgrade to the newest, latest VSCUdesigns and technologies without the need to throw away the existingVSCU unit. For example, a customer with a single VSCU unit (which isnecessarily serving as a primary VSCU unit) may be getting tired of itscolor or its TFT display, and may be attracted to a newly released VSCUunit with a different color and a sleek new OLED display. For this case,in addition to buying the newly released VSCU, the customer can buy atabletop docking station to put on their nightstand. The customer canthen insert their new VSCU unit into the existing HVAC-coupling walldock, and then take their old VSCU unit and insert it into the tabletopdocking station. Advantageously, in addition to avoiding thewastefulness of discarding the old VSCU unit, there is now a newauxiliary VSCU unit at the bedside that not only provides increasedcomfort and convenience, but that also promotes increased energyefficiency by virtue of the additional multi-sensor information andprocessing power provided.

For other embodiments, different VSCU units sold by the manufacturer canhave different functionalities in terms of their ability to serve asprimary versus auxiliary VSCU units. This may be advantageous from apricing perspective, since the hardware cost of an auxiliary-only VSCUunit may be substantially less than that of a dual-capabilityprimary/auxiliary VSCU unit. In other embodiments there is provideddistinct docking station capability for primary versus auxiliary VSCUunits, with primary VSCU units using one kind of docking connectionsystem and auxiliary VSCU units using a different kind of dockingconnection system. In still other embodiments there is provided thedocking station capability of FIG. 7 for primary VSCU units, but nodocking station capability for auxiliary VSCU units, wherein auxiliaryVSCU units are simply provided in monolithic form as dedicated auxiliarytabletop VSCU units, dedicated auxiliary wall-mounted VSCU units, and soforth. One advantage of providing an auxiliary VSCU unit, such as atabletop VSCU unit, without a docking functionality would be itssimplicity and non-intimidating nature for users, since the user wouldsimply be required to place it on a table (their nightstand, forexample) and just plug it in, just as easily as they would a clockradio.

In still other embodiments, all VSCU units are provided as non-dockingtypes, but are interchangeable in their abilities as primary andauxiliary VSCU units. In still other embodiments, all VSCU units areprovided as non-docking types and are non-interchangeable in theirprimary versus auxiliary abilities, that is, there is a first set ofVSCU units that can only serve as primary VSCU units and a second set ofVSCU units that can only serve as auxiliary VSCU units. For embodimentsin which primary VSCU units are provided as non-docking types, theirphysical architecture may still be separable into two components for thepurpose of streamlining the installation process, with one componentbeing similar to the HVAC-coupling wall dock 702 of FIG. 7 and thesecond component being the main unit as shown in FIG. 7, except that theassembly is not intended for docking-style user separability afterinstallation is complete. For convenience of description hereinbelow andso as not to unnecessarily limit the scope of the present teachings, theclassification of one or more described VSCU units as being of (i) anon-docking type versus a docking type, and/or (ii) a primary typeversus an auxiliary type, may not be specified, in which case VSCU unitsof any of these classifications may be used with such embodiments, or inwhich case such classification will readily inferable by the skilledartisan from the context of the description.

FIG. 8A illustrates a conceptual diagram of an HVAC-coupling wall dock702′ with particular reference to a set of input wiring ports 851thereof, and which represents a first version of the HVAC-coupling walldock 702 of FIG. 7 that is manufactured and sold in a “simple” or “DIY(do-it-yourself)” product package in conjunction with the VSCU unit 100.The input wiring ports 851 of the HVAC-coupling wall dock 702′ arejudiciously limited in number and selection to represent a business andtechnical compromise between (i) providing enough control signal inputsto meet the needs of a reasonably large number of HVAC systems in areasonably large number of households, while also (ii) not intimidatingor overwhelming the do-it-yourself customer with an overly complex arrayof connection points. For one embodiment, the judicious selection ofinput wiring ports 851 consists of the following set: Rh (24 VAC heatingcall switch power); Rc (24VAC cooling call switch power); W (heatingcall); Y (cooling call); G (fan); and O/B (heat pump).

The HVAC-coupling wall dock 702′ is configured and designed inconjunction with the VSCU unit 100, including both hardware aspects andprogramming aspects, to provide a DIY installation process that issimple, non-intimidating, and perhaps even fun for many DIY installers,and that further provides an appreciable degree of foolproofingcapability for protecting the HVAC system from damage and for ensuringthat the correct signals are going to the correct equipment. For oneembodiment, the HVAC-coupling wall dock 702′ is equipped with a smallmechanical detection switch (not shown) for each distinct input port,such that the insertion of a wire (and, of course, the non-insertion ofa wire) is automatically detected and a corresponding indication signalis provided to the VSCU 100 upon initial docking. In this way, the VSCU100 has knowledge for each individual input port whether a wire has, orhas not been, inserted into that port. Preferably, the VSCU unit 100 isalso provided with electrical sensors (e.g., voltmeter, ammeter, andohmmeter) corresponding to each of the input wiring ports 851. The VSCU100 is thereby enabled, by suitable programming, to perform somefundamental “sanity checks” at initial installation. By way of example,if there is no input wire at either the Rc or Rh terminal, or if thereis no AC voltage sensed at either of these terminals, furtherinitialization activity can be immediately halted, and the user notifiedon the circular display monitor 102, because there is either no power atall or the user has inserted the Rc and/or Rh wires into the wrongterminal. By way of further example, if there is a live voltage on theorder of 24 VAC detected at any of the W, Y, and G terminals, then itcan be concluded that the user has placed the Rc and/or Rh wire in thewrong place, and appropriate installation halting and user notificationcan be made.

One particularly advantageous feature from a safety and equipmentpreservation perspective provided according to one embodiment relates toautomated opening versus automated shunting of the Rc and Rh terminalsby the VSCU unit 100. In many common home installations, instead ofthere being separate wires provided for Rc (24 VAC heating call switchpower) and Rh (24 VAC cooling call switch power), there is only a single24VAC call switch power lead provided. This single 24VAC lead, whichmight be labeled R, V, Rh, or Rc depending on the unique history andgeographical location of the home, provides the call switch power forboth heating and cooling. For such cases, it is electrically necessaryfor any thermostat to have its Rc and Rh input ports shunted together sothat the power from that single lead can be respectively accessed by theheating and cooling call switches. However, in many other common homeinstallations, there are separate 24 VAC wires provided for Rc and Rhrunning from separate transformers and, when so provided, it isimportant not to shunt them together to avoid equipment damage. Thesesituations are resolved historically by (i) the professional installerexamining the HVAC system and ensuring that a shunting lead (orequivalent DIP switch setting) is properly installed or not installed asappropriate, and/or (ii) the historical presence on most thermostats ofa discrete user-toggled mechanical or electromechanical switch (e.g.,HEAT-OFF-COOL) to ensure that heating and cooling are neversimultaneously activated. Notably, it is desired to omit any discretemechanical HEAT-OFF-COOL in most embodiments and to eliminate the needfor a professional installer for the instant DIY product versionenvironment. Advantageously, according to an embodiment, the VSCU 100 isadvantageously equipped and programmed to (i) automatically test theinserted wiring to classify the user's HVAC system into one of the abovetwo types (i.e., single call power lead versus dual call power leads),(ii) to automatically ensure that the Rc and Rh input ports remainelectrically segregated if the if the user's HVAC system is determinedto be of the dual call power lead type, and (iii) to automatically shuntthe Rc and Rh input ports together if the user's HVAC system isdetermined to be of the single call power lead type. The automatictesting can comprise, without limitation, electrical sensing such asthat provided by voltmeter, ammeters, ohmmeters, and reactance-sensingcircuitry, as well as functional detection as described further below.

Also provided at installation time according to an embodiment, which isparticularly useful and advantageous in the DIY scenario, is automatedfunctional testing of the HVAC system by the VSCU unit 100 based on thewiring insertions made by the installer as detected by the smallmechanical detection switches at each distinct input port. Thus, forexample, where an insertion into the W (heating call) input port ismechanically sensed at initial startup, the VSCU unit 100 actuates thefurnace (by coupling W to Rh) and then automatically monitors thetemperature over a predetermined period, such as ten minutes. If thetemperature is found to be rising over that predetermined period, thenit is determined that the W (heating call) lead has been properlyconnected to the W (heating call) input port. However, if thetemperature is found to be falling over that predetermined period, thenit is determined that Y (cooling call) lead has likely been erroneouslyconnected to the W (heating call) input port. For one embodiment, whensuch error is detected, the system is shut down and the user is notifiedand advised of the error on the circular display monitor 102. Foranother embodiment, when such error is detected, the VSCU unit 100automatically reassigns the W (heating call) input port as a Y (coolingcall) input port to automatically correct the error. Similarly,according to an embodiment, where the Y (cooling call) lead ismechanically sensed at initial startup, the VSCU unit 100 actuates theair conditioner (by coupling Y to Rc) and then automatically monitorsthe temperature, validating the Y connection if the temperature issensed to be falling and invalidating the Y connection (and, optionally,automatically correcting the error by reassigning the Y input port as aW input port) if the temperature is sensed to be rising. In view of thepresent disclosure, the determination and incorporation of otherautomated functional tests into the above-described method for otherHVAC functionality would be achievable by the skilled artisan and arewithin the scope of the present teachings. By way of example, for oneembodiment there can be a statistical study done on the electrical noisepatterns associated with the different control wires and a unique orpartially unique “noise fingerprint” associated with the differentwires, and then the VSCU unit 100 can automatically sense the noise oneach of the existing control wires to assist in the automated testingand verification process.

Also provided at installation time according to an embodiment, which islikewise particularly advantageous in the DIY scenario, is automateddetermination of the homeowner's pre-existing heat pump wiringconvention when an insertion onto the O/B (heat pump) input port ismechanically sensed at initial startup. Depending on a combination ofseveral factors such as the history of the home, the geographical regionof the home, and the particular manufacturer and installation year ofthe home's heat pump, there may be a different heat pump signalconvention used with respect to the direction of operation (heating orcooling) of the heat pump. According to an embodiment, the VSCU unit 100automatically and systematically applies, for each of a plurality ofpreselected candidate heat pump actuation signal conventions, a coolingactuation command and a heating actuation command, each actuationcommand being followed by a predetermined time period over which thetemperature change is sensed. If the cooling command according to thepresently selected candidate convention is followed by a sensed periodof falling temperature, and the heating command according to thepresently selected candidate convention is followed by a sensed periodof rising temperature, then the presently selected candidate conventionis determined to be the actual heat pump signal convention for thathome. If, on the other hand, the cooling command was not followed by asensed period of cooling and/or the heating command was not followed bya sensed period of heating, then the presently selected candidateconvention is discarded and the VSCU unit 100 repeats the process forthe next candidate heat pump actuation signal convention. For oneexample, a first candidate heat pump actuation signal convention is (a)for cooling, leave O/B open and connect Y to Rc, and (b) for heating,connect O/B to Rh, while a second candidate heat pump actuation signalconvention is (a) for cooling, connect O/B to Rc, and (b) for heating,leave O/B open and connect W to Rh. In view of the present disclosure,the determination and incorporation of other candidate heat pumpactuation signal conventions into the above-described method would beachievable by the skilled artisan and are within the scope of thepresent teachings.

FIG. 8B illustrates a conceptual diagram of an HVAC-coupling wall dock702″ with particular reference to a set of input wiring ports 861thereof, and which represents a second version of the HVAC-coupling walldock 702 of FIG. 7 that is manufactured and sold in a “professional”product package in conjunction with the VSCU unit 100. The professionalproduct package is preferably manufactured and marketed withprofessional installation in mind, such as by direct marketing to HVACservice companies, general contractors involved in the construction ofnew homes, or to homeowners having more complex HVAC systems with arecommendation for professional installation. The input wiring ports 861of the HVAC-coupling wall dock 702″ are selected to be sufficient toaccommodate both simple and complex HVAC systems alike. For oneembodiment, the input wiring ports 861 include the following set: Rh (24VAC heating call switch power); Rc (24VAC cooling call switch power); W1(first stage heating call); W2 (second stage heating call); Y1 (firststage cooling call); Y2 (second stage cooling call); G (fan); O/B (heatpump); AUX (auxiliary device call); E (emergency heating call); HUM(humidifier call); and DEHUM (dehumidifier call). For one embodiment,even though professional installation is contemplated, the HVAC-couplingwall dock 702″ is nevertheless provided with small mechanical detectionswitches (not shown) at the respective input wiring ports for wireinsertion sensing, and the VSCU unit 100 is provided with one or more ofthe various automated testing and automated configuration capabilitiesassociated with the DIY package described above, which may be useful forsome professional installers and/or more technically savvydo-it-yourselfers confident enough to perform the professional-modelinstallation for their more advanced HVAC systems.

FIG. 9 illustrates an exploded perspective view of the VSCU unit 100 andan HVAC-coupling wall dock 902 according to an embodiment. TheHVAC-coupling wall dock 902 is similar to the HVAC-coupling wall dock702 of FIG. 7, supra, except that it has an additional functionality asa very simple, elemental, standalone thermostat when the VSCU unit 100is removed, the elemental thermostat including a standard temperaturereadout/setting dial 972 and a simple COOL-OFF-HEAT switch 974. This canprove useful for a variety of situations, such as if the VSCU 100 needsto be removed for service or repair for an extended period of time overwhich the occupants would still like to remain reasonably comfortable.For one embodiment, the elemental thermostat components 972 and 974 areentirely mechanical in nature, such that no electrical power is neededto trip the control relays. For other embodiments, simple electroniccontrols such as electrical up/down buttons and/or an LCD readout areprovided. For other embodiments, some subset of the advancedfunctionalities of the VSCU unit 100 can be provided, such as elementalnetwork access to allow remote control, to provide a sort of “brainstem” functionality while the “brain” (the VSCU unit 100) is temporarilyaway.

FIGS. 10A-10C illustrate conceptual diagrams representative ofadvantageous scenarios in which multiple VSCU units are installed in ahome 201 (or other space such as retail stores, office buildings,industrial buildings, and more generally any living space or work spacehaving one or more HVAC systems) according to embodiments in which thehome (or other space) does not have a wireless data network. For theembodiment of FIG. 10A in which the home 201 has a single HVAC system298, a primary VSCU unit 100 is installed and connected thereto via thecontrol wires 298, which an auxiliary VSCU unit 100′ is placed, by wayof example, on a nightstand 1202. The primary VSCU unit 100 andauxiliary VSCU unit 100′ are each configured to automatically recognizethe presence of the other and to communicate with each other using awireless communication protocol such as Wi-Fi or ZigBee running in an adhoc mode.

Many advantageous capabilities are programmed into the VSCU units 100and 100′ to leverage their communication and multi-sensing capabilitiessuch that they jointly, in a cooperative manner, perform the many VSCUunit functionalities described herein (e.g., “learning” about the homeHVAC environment, performing occupancy sensing and prediction,“learning” user comfort preferences, etc.) that do not require Internetaccess. By way of simple example, in one embodiment the primary VSCUunit 100 receives temperature data from the auxiliary VSCU unit 100′ andcomputes an average of the two temperatures, controlling the HVAC system299 such that the average temperature of the home 201 is maintained atthe current temperature set point level. One or more additionalauxiliary VSCU units (not shown) may also be positioned at one or moreadditional locations throughout the home and can become part the ad hoc“home VSCU network.” The scope of the present teachings not beinglimited to any particular maximum number of auxiliary VSCU units. Amongother advantages, adding more auxiliary VSCU units is advantageous inthat more accurate occupancy detection is promoted, better determinationof spatial temperature gradients and thermal characteristics isfacilitated, and additional data processing power is provided.

Preferably, the primary/auxiliary VSCU units 100/100′ are programmed toestablish a master/slave relationship, wherein any conflicts in theirautomated control determinations are resolved in favor of the masterVSCU unit, and/or such that any user inputs at the master unit takeprecedence over any conflicting user inputs made at the slave VSCU unit.Although the primary VSCU unit 100 will likely be the “master” VSCU unitin a beginning or default scenario, the status of any particular VSCUunit as a “master” or “slave” is not dictated solely by its status as aprimary or auxiliary VSCU unit. Moreover, the status of any particularVSCU unit as “master” or “slave” is not permanent, but rather isdynamically established to best meet current HVAC control needs as canbe best sensed and/or predicted by the VSCU units. For one preferredembodiment, the establishment of “master” versus “slave” status isoptimized to best meet the comfort desires of the human occupants as canbe best sensed and/or predicted by the VSCU units. By way of example, ifeach VSCU unit is sensing the presence of multiple occupants in theirrespective areas, then the primary VSCU unit is established as themaster unit and controls the HVAC system 299 such that the averagetemperature reading of the two VSCU units is maintained at the currentset point temperature according to a currently active template schedule(i.e., a schedule of time intervals and set point temperatures for eachtime interval). However, if no occupants in the home are sensed exceptfor a person in the bedroom (as sensed by the auxiliary VSCU unit 100′which is positioned on a nightstand in this example), then the auxiliaryVSCU unit 100′ becomes the “master” VSCU unit, which commands the“slave” VSCU unit 100 to control the HVAC system 299 such that thetemperature in the bedroom, as sensed by the “master” unit, stays at acurrent set point temperature.

Many other automated master/slave establishment scenarios and controldeterminations based on human behavioral studies, statisticalcompilations, and the like are within the scope of the presentteachings. In one example, the master-slave determination can be madeand/or influenced or supported based on an automated determination ofwhich thermostat is in a better place to more reliably govern thetemperature, based on historical and/or testing-observed cyclingbehavior or other criteria. For example, sensors that are immediatelyover a heat register will not be reliable and will keep cycling thefurnace too often. Nodes that are in bathrooms and in direct sunlightare also less reliable. When there are multiple sensors/nodes, there isan algorithm that determines which one is more reliable, and there ismaster-slave determination based on those determinations. For somerelated embodiments, VSCU units automatically determined to be nearbathrooms and dishwashers can be assigned custom templates designed toat least partially ameliorate the adverse effects of such placement.

The establishment of master-slave status for the primary/auxiliary VSCUunits 100/100′ can also be based upon human control inputs. By way ofexample, if each VSCU unit is sensing the presence of multiple occupantsin their respective areas, and then a user manually changes the currentset point temperature on one of the two units, that VSCU unit can outputthe question, “Master Override?” on its circular display monitor 102(analogous to the query capability shown at FIGS. 5A-5B, supra), alongwith two answer options “Yes” and “Let VSCU Decide,” with the latterbeing circled as the default response. On the other hand, if the twoVSCUs collectively sense only the presence of that user in the home andno other occupants, then whichever unit was controlled by the user canbe established as the master unit, without the need for asking the userfor a resolution. By way of further example, the VSCU units 100/100′ canbe programmed such that the establishment of master/slave status can beexplicitly dictated by the user at system setup time (such as during asetup interview), or at a subsequent configuration time using themenu-driven user interface (see FIGS. 4-5B, supra) of one of the twoVSCU units. When combined with lockout functionality and/oruser-specific identification as described elsewhere in the instantspecification, this can be particularly useful where Mom and Dad wish tocontrol the house temperature at night using the VSCU unit in theirbedroom, and not for their teenage daughter to control the housetemperature at night using the VSCU unit in her bedroom.

Also provided according to an embodiment is an ability for the multipleVSCU units to judiciously share computing tasks among them in an optimalmanner based on power availability and/or circuitry heating criteria.Many of the advanced sensing, prediction, and control algorithmsprovided with the VSCU unit are relatively complex and computationallyintensive, and can result in high power usage and/or device heating ifcarried out unthrottled. For one embodiment, the intensive computationsare automatically distributed such that a majority (or plurality) ofthem are carried out on a subset of the VSCU units known to have thebest power source(s) available at that time, and/or to have known tohave the highest amount of stored battery power available. Thus, forexample, because it is generally preferable for each primary VSCU unitnot to require household AC power for simplicity of installation as wellas for equipment safety concerns, the primary VSCU unit 100 of FIG. 10Awill often be powered by energy harvesting from one or more of the 24VAC call relay power signals, and therefore may only have a limitedamount of extra power available for carrying out intensive computations.In contrast, a typical auxiliary VSCU unit may be a nightstand unit thatcan be plugged in as easily as a clock radio. In such cases, much of thecomputational load can be assigned to the auxiliary VSCU unit so thatpower is preserved in the primary VSCU unit. In another embodiment, thespeed of the intensive data computations carried out by the auxiliaryVSCU unit (or, more generally, any VSCU unit to which the heaviercomputing load is assigned) can be automatically throttled using knowntechniques to avoid excessive device heating, such that temperaturesensing errors in that unit are avoided. In yet another embodiment, thetemperature sensing functionality of the VSCU unit(s) to which theheavier computing load is assigned can be temporarily suspended for aninterval that includes the duration of the computing time, such that noerroneous control decisions are made if substantial circuitry heatingdoes occur.

Referring now to FIG. 10B, it is often the case that a home or businesswill have two or more HVAC systems, each of them being responsible for adifferent zone in the house and being controlled by its own thermostat.Thus, shown in FIG. 10B is a first HVAC system 299 associated with afirst zone Z1, and a second HVAC system 299′ associated with a secondzone Z2. According to an embodiment, first and second primary VSCU units100 and 100″ are provided for controlling the respective HVAC units 299and 299′. The first and second primary VSCU units 100 and 100″ areconfigured to leverage their communication and multi-sensingcapabilities such that they jointly, in a cooperative manner, performmany cooperative communication-based VSCU unit functionalities similaror analogous to those described above with respect to FIG. 10A, andstill further cooperative VSCU unit functionalities for multi-zonecontrol as described herein. As illustrated in FIG. 10C, the cooperativefunctionality of the first and second primary VSCU units 100 and 100″can be further enhanced by the addition of one or more auxiliary VSCUunits 100′ according to further embodiments.

It is to be appreciated that there are other multiple-thermostatscenarios that exist in some homes other than ones for which eachthermostat controls a distinct HVAC system, and that multiple VSCU unitinstallations capable of controlling such systems are within the scopeof the present teachings. In some existing home installations there mayonly be a single furnace or a single air conditioning unit, but the homemay still be separated into plural “zones” by virtue of actuated flapsin the ductwork, each “zone” being controlled by its own thermostat. Insuch settings, two primary VSCU units can be installed and configured tocooperate, optionally in conjunction with one or more auxiliary VSCUunits, to provide optimal HVAC system control according to the describedembodiments.

FIG. 10D illustrates cycle time plots for two HVAC systems in a two-zonehome heating (or cooling) configuration, for purposes of illustrating anadvantageous, energy-saving dual-zone control method implemented by dualprimary VSCU units such as the VSCU units 100 and 100″ of FIGS. 10B-10C,according to an embodiment. According to an embodiment, the VSCU units100 and 100″ are configured to mutually cooperate such that theiractuation cycle times are staggered with respect to each other to begenerally about 180 degrees (π radians) out of phase with each other.Shown in FIG. 10D are two cycle time plots 1002 and 1004 that areidentical with respect to the total percentage of time (e.g., the totalnumber of minutes in an hour) that the heating (or cooling) units are“ON”. For two adjacent zones such as Z1 and Z2 that are in thermalcommunication with each other, it has been found that running theirheating (or cooling) units without mutually controlled operation canallow the system to stray into a sort of high frequency resonanceresponse (FIG. 10D, plot 1002) characterized by rapid temperaturefluctuations between the swing points and a relatively high number ofcycles per hour, which can reduce energy efficiency due to inertialstart-up and shut-down losses. In contrast, when purposely controlled tobe mutually out of phase with each other according an embodiment, it hasbeen found that a more stable and lower frequency response behavioroccurs (FIG. 10D, plot 1004) characterized by fewer cycles per hour andcorrespondingly increased energy efficiency.

For one embodiment that is particularly advantageous in the context ofnon-network-connected VSCU units, the VSCU unit is configured andprogrammed to use optically sensed information to determine anapproximate time of day. For a large majority of installations,regardless of the particular location of installation in the home (theonly exceptions being perhaps film photography development labs or otherpurposely darkened rooms), there will generally be a cyclical 24-hourpattern in terms of the amount of ambient light that is around the VSCUunit. This cyclical 24-hour pattern is automatically sensed, withspurious optical activity such as light fixture actuations beingfiltered out over many days or weeks if necessary, and optionally usingZIP code information, to establish a rough estimate of the actual timeof day. This rough internal clock can be used advantageously fornon-network-connected installations to verify and correct a gross clocksetting error by the user (such as, but not limited to, reversing AM andPM), or as a basis for asking the user to double-check (using thecircular display monitor 102), or to establish a time-of-day clock ifthe user did not enter a time.

FIG. 11 illustrates a conceptual diagram representative of anadvantageous scenario in which one or more VSCU units are installed in ahome that is equipped with WiFi wireless connectivity and access to theInternet (or, in more general embodiments, any kind of data connectivityto each VSCU unit and access to a wide area network). Advantageously, inaddition to providing the standalone, non-Internet connectedfunctionalities described for FIGS. 10A-10C and elsewhere herein, theconnection of one or more VSCU units to the Internet triggers theirability to provide a rich variety of additional capabilities. Shown inFIG. 11 is a primary VSCU unit 100 and auxiliary VSCU unit 100′ havingWiFi access to the Internet 1199 via a wireless router/Internet gateway1168. Provided according to embodiments is the ability for the user tocommunicate with the VSCU units 100 and/or 100′ via their home computer1170, their smart phone 1172 or other portable data communicationappliance 1172′, or any other Internet-connected computer 1170′.

FIG. 12 illustrates a conceptual diagram of a larger overall energymanagement network as enabled by the VSCU units and VSCU EfficiencyPlatform described herein and for which one or more of the systems,methods, computer program products, and related business methods of oneor more described embodiments is advantageous applied. The environmentof FIG. 12, which could be applicable on any scale (neighborhood,regional, state-wide, country-wide, and even world-wide), includes thefollowing: a plurality of homes 201 each having one or morenetwork-enabled VSCU units 100; an exemplary hotel 1202 (or multi-unitapartment building, etc.) in which each room or unit has a VSCU unit100, the hotel 1202 further having a computer system 1204 and database1206 configured for managing the multiple VSCU units and runningsoftware programs, or accessing cloud-based services, provisioned and/orsupported by the VSCU data service company 1208; a VSCU data servicecompany 1208 having computing equipment 1210 and database equipment 1212configured for facilitating provisioning and management of VSCU units,VSCU support equipment, and VSCU-related software and subscriptionservices; a handyman or home repair company 1214 having a computer 1216and database 1218 configured, for example, to remotely monitor and testVSCU operation and automatically trigger dispatch tickets for detectedproblems, the computer 1216 and database 1218 running software programsor accessing cloud-based services provisioned and/or supported by theVSCU data service company 1208; a landlord or property managementcompany 1220 having a computer 1222 and database 1224 configured, forexample, to remotely monitor and/or manage the VSCU operation of theirtenants and/or clients, the computer 1222 and database 1224 runningsoftware programs, or accessing cloud-based services, provisioned and/orsupported by the VSCU data service company 1208; and a utility company1226 providing HVAC energy to their customers and having computingequipment 1228 and database equipment 1230 for monitoring VSCU unitoperation, providing VSCU-usable energy usage data and statistics, andmanaging and/or controlling VSCU unit set points at peak load times orother times, the computing equipment 1228 and database equipment 1230running software programs or accessing cloud-based services provisionedand/or supported by the VSCU data service company 1208.

According to one embodiment, each VSCU unit provides external dataaccess at two different functionality levels, one for user-level accesswith all of the energy gaming and home management functionalitydescribed herein, and another for an installer/vendor (“professional”)that lets the professional “check in” on your system, look at all thedifferent remote sensing gauges, and offer to provide and/orautomatically provide the user with a service visit.

FIGS. 13A-13B and FIGS. 14A-14B illustrate examples of remote graphicaluser interface displays presented to the user on their data appliancefor managing their one or more VSCU units and/or otherwise interactingwith their VSCU Efficiency Platform equipment or data according to anembodiment. For one embodiment, one or more of the displays of FIGS.13A-14B is provided directly by a designated one of the user's own VSCUunits, the user logging directly into the device in the same way theycan log on to their own home router. For another embodiment, one or moreof the displays of FIGS. 13A-14B is displayed when the user logs on to aweb site of a central, regional, or local service provider, such as theVSCU data service provider 1208 of FIG. 12, supra, which in turncommunicates with the user's VSCU unit(s) over the Internet. Althoughthe scope of the present teachings is not so limited, the examples ofFIGS. 13A-13B are particularly suitable for display in a conventionalbrowser window, the example of FIG. 14A is particularly suitable fordisplay on a smaller portable data device such as an iPhone, and theexample of FIG. 14B is particularly suitable for display on a largerportable data device such as an iPad. According to one embodiment, theremote user interface includes a relatively large image that isrepresentative of what the user would actually see if they were standingin front of their VSCU unit at that time. Preferably, the user interfaceallows the user to enter “left ring rotate”, “right ring rotate”, and“inward press” commands thereon just as if they were standing in frontof their VSCU unit, such as by suitable swipes, mouse click-and-drags,softbuttons, etc. The remote user interface can also graphicallydisplay, and allow the user to graphically manipulate, the set pointtemperatures and/or time interval limits of their template schedule(s)based on suitable graphs, plots, charts, or other types of data displayand manipulation. The remote user interface can also graphically displaya variety of other information related to the user's energy usageincluding, but not limited to, their utility bills and historical energyusage costs and trends, weather information, game-style informationshowing their performance against other similarly situated households orother suitable populations, and helpful hints, advice, links, and newsrelated to energy conservation.

Provided according to some embodiments is a direct e-mail or textmessage command functionality for the remote user, such that they cansend a brief control command to an e-mail address of the VSCU unitwithout being required to perform the full remote login and enter thecommand using the more complete user interfaces of FIGS. 13A-14B. Theremotely sent commands can be very brief and consistent with a smalllist of common commands such as “Heat 78” or “Heat 78 @ 8:00 PM”. Foranother embodiment, a natural language interpretation capability isprovided, such that a natural language e-mail can be sent to the VSCU'se-mail address, such as “I am away now, go into away mode” or “I willreturn at 8 PM tonight instead of 6 PM as usual so keep it at 65 untilthen and preheat to 72 for when I get home.”

As could be realized by a person skilled in the art upon reading thepresent disclosure and based on system components and methods disclosedhereinabove and illustrated in the accompany drawings, provided inconjunction with the VSCU 100 and/or the VSCU Efficiency Platform areone or more devices, features or functionalities as described furtherhereinbelow.

According to some embodiments, various systems and methods for detectingoccupancy of an enclosure, such as a dwelling, are provided by one ormore of the installed VSCU units in the manner described in Ser. No.12/881,430, supra. Examples include: detecting motion, monitoringcommunication signals such as network traffic and/or mobile phonetraffic, monitoring sound pressure information such as in the audibleand/or ultrasonic ranges, monitoring utility information such powerlineinformation or information from Smart Meters, monitoring motion in closeproximity to the sensor, monitoring infrared signals that tend toindicate operation of infrared controllable devices, sudden changes inambient light, and monitoring indoor air pressure (to distinguish frompressure mats used in security applications) information which tends toindicate occupancy.

According to one embodiment that represents a combination of businessmethod and technical method, acoustic monitoring is used to facilitatedetect occupancy sensing, but the acoustic-to-electrical transducerequipment is purposely hampered in its ability to convert the acousticenergy of human speech into electrical form in a way that the actualhuman speech could be extracted therefrom. Stated differently, while theacoustic monitoring would be able to detect the presence of audiblehuman activity, including speech, there would be no possibility of anyactual words being “heard” by the VSCU unit even if thoseacousto-electric patterns were somehow recorded. In this way, privacyconcerns of occupants and civil liberty groups are not problematic tothe rollout and acceptance of the VSCU units and the VSCU EfficiencyPlatform. In one business method, this feature is actually used as aselling point for the product, being marketed with a moniker such as“privacy-preserving pressure wave sensing technology” or the like.

Particular examples of the above-described occupancy detection methodsare now presented by way of example and not by way of limitation. Oneoccupancy detection method is to incorporate a Wi-Fi sniffer capabilityinto the VSCU units, i.e., when a lot of data traffic is seen on theuser's home network, a conclusion can be made or supported that thehouse is occupied. Conversely, if the VSCU units are receiving remotecontrol commands or other communications from a known user using a datacommunication device whose IP address is different than that of the homenetwork, or a cell phone whose GPS location is different than that ofthe house, then a determination can be made or supported that that knownuser is not in the house. Other local electromagnetic signals associatedwith local user activity, such as cordless phone signals in the 900 MHzand 5.8 GHz, can also be used to make or support a determination thatthe house is occupied. Another occupancy detection method incorporatedinto the VSCU units is to sense infrared television remote controlradiation as emitted from television remote control units. Anotheroccupancy detection method uses the temperature and humidity readings ofthe VSCU units themselves. For example, a temperature/humidity changeaccompanies a pressure change, it is more likely that somebody opened anoutside door and is therefore entering or leaving the building. Anotheroccupancy detection method includes the consideration of user controlsonto the VSCU units themselves. In a simplest example, if someone justadjusted the thermostat, there is certainly someone present in thehouse. In a more complex example, if a user just turned down thethermostat temperature in wintertime, and this is followed by a sensedsudden pressure change, then a determination can be made or supportedthat the occupants are leaving the building for some period of time.Also, if there are controls being made over the internet, by a cellphone or laptop or whatever, and the IP address corresponds to that ofthe home network, that you can conclude that the user is entering thatinformation from inside the home, and therefore that the house isoccupied.

For some embodiments, current energy-saving decisions based on currentoutside temperatures and predicted outside temperatures are provided.For example, if it is a really hot day but it is predicted that theoutside temperature will be going down precipitously quite soon, the setpoint temperature may be raised at that time, or the amount ofpermissible swing raised or other action that causes a reduction in thenumber of cycles per hour. As another example, for a place like Arizona,if it is 40 degrees outside at 6 AM but it is expected that the outsidetemperature will be 100 degrees at 10 AM, the heat is not turned on at 6AM even if the inside temperature is below the heating set point.

For some embodiments, anticipatory heating or cooling based on expectedenergy cost changes is provided. If a determination is made that theinstantaneous cost of electricity will go up in a few hours based oncurrent weather patterns and/or other aggregated data, the immediatecooling set point is lowered, and the set points for the subsequenthours are raised (and/or the acceptable swing is increased) so that moreenergy is used now and less energy is used later. Another concreteexample is “spare the air” days which can be anticipated based on storedinformation and the recent and forecasted outside temperatures.

For some embodiments, centralized web-based communication withinternet-connected VSCU units is provided to avoid blackouts during aheat wave. For “opt-in” VSCU-enabled customers who have so elected inexchange for financial incentives, the utility company (or VSCU dataservice provider on their behalf, optionally for a negotiated fee) canautomatically issue a command that those VSCU units raise their setpoint temperatures by 5 degrees and it will automatically happen.

For some embodiments, there is provided user control over energy savingaggressiveness. Regarding the internal decisions made by the VSCU units,(e.g., weather-specific set points, anticipatory heating/cooling,compliance with external overrides, etc.), the user can be allowed toset this aggressiveness level during their setup interview, and also canbe allowed change it later on. The setting can be “very aggressivesavings,” “moderate savings”, “none”, and so forth. One example ofautomated weather-specific set point is that, for relatively cool daysin which the outside temperature might be 84, the cooling set point isautomatically set to 78, whereas if the outside temperature is greaterthan 95, the cooling set point is automatically set to 82. For someembodiments, the need for an increased (or decreased) level ofaggressiveness can be automatically detected by the VSCU units andrecommended to the user (e.g., on the circular user display 102 or onthe remote control interface). In further embodiments, the level ofaggressiveness can be automatically increased (or decreased) by the VSCUunits, which then simply notify the user (e.g., on the circular userdisplay 102 or on the remote control interface) that the aggressivenesschange has been implemented.

According to some embodiments, the VSCU unit(s) installed in anyparticular home (or more generally “enclosure”) are automatically ableto characterize its HVAC-related characteristics such as thermal mass,heating capacity, cooling capacity, and thermal conductivity metricsbetween the inside and the outside, for example using one or moremethods described in Ser. No. 12/881,463, supra. For one embodiment,this characterization is made by operating the HVAC in variouspredetermined heating and cooling modes for predetermined time intervalsat initial system installation testing, or at some other point in time,and then processing (i) the resultant temperature (and optionallyhumidity) profiles as sensed at the one or more VSCU units inconjunction with (ii) extrinsic information, such as building size,square footage, and so forth as provided by (a) the user during thecongenial setup interview (or a separate interview) and/or (b)automatically scraped from public data sources, such as zillow.com,based on the home address as provided by the user. The installed VSCUunits, optionally in conjunction with information provided by a VSCUdata service provider, are configured to model the thermal andthermodynamic behavior of the enclosure for use in optimizing energyusage while also keeping the occupants comfortable. According to someembodiments, weather forecast data predicting future weather conditionsfor a region including the location of the enclosure are received. Amodel for the enclosure that describes the behavior of the enclosure foruse by the control system is updated based on the weather forecast data.The HVAC system for the enclosure is then controlled using the updatedmodel for the enclosure.

According to some embodiments, the weather forecast data includespredictions more than 24 hours in the future, and can includepredictions such as temperature, humidity and/or dew point, solaroutput, precipitation, wind and natural disasters. According to someembodiments the model for the enclosure is updated based also onhistorical weather data such as temperature, humidity, wind, solaroutput and precipitation. According to some embodiments, the model forthe enclosure is updated based in part on the occupancy data, such aspredicted and/or detected occupancy data. The model for the enclosureupdating can also be based calendar data. According to some embodiments,the model for the enclosure is updated based also on the data from theone or more weather condition sensors that sense current parameters suchas temperature, humidity, wind, precipitation, and/or solar output.According to some embodiments, the locations of the weather conditionsensors can be automatically detected. According to some embodiments,the model for the enclosure is updated based also on an enclosure modelstored in a database, and/or on enclosure information from a user.

According to some embodiments, the enclosure modeling includes activelyinducing a change in the internal environment of the enclosure,measuring a response of the internal environment of the enclosure fromthe induced change, and updating a model for the enclosure thatdescribes behavior of the enclosure for use by the control system basedat least in part on the measurement of the response from the inducedchange. According to some embodiments the change is actively inducedprimarily for purposes of updating the model for the enclosure, ratherthan for conditioning the internal environment of the enclosure. Thechange can be actively induced in response to input by a user, or it canbe induced automatically by the VSCU units for example due to the typeof enclosure or a change in season. The change is preferably induced ata time when the enclosure is likely to be unoccupied.

As used herein the term “model” refers generally to a description orrepresentation of a system. The description or representation can usemathematical language, such as in the case of mathematical models.Examples of types of models and/or characteristics of models, withoutlimitation, include: lookup tables, linear, non-linear, deterministic,probabilistic, static, dynamic, and models having lumped parametersand/or distributed parameters. As used herein the terms “profile,”“structure profile,” “structure model,” “enclosure profile,” “enclosuremodel,” “building profile,” “building model” and the like refer to anynumerical or mathematical description or models of at least some ofthermodynamic behavioral characteristics of a building, enclosure and/orstructure, for example for use in HVAC applications. As used herein theterm “sensor” refers generally to a device or system that measuresand/or registers a substance, physical phenomenon and/or physicalquantity. The sensor may convert a measurement into a signal, which canbe interpreted by an observer, instrument and/or system. A sensor can beimplemented as a special purpose device and/or can be implemented assoftware running on a general-purpose computer system. As used hereinthe term “structure” includes enclosures and both non-buildings andbuildings. As used herein the term “enclosure” means any structurehaving one or more enclosed areas, and also includes any building.Examples of structures and enclosures include, but are not limited to:residential buildings, commercial buildings and complexes, industrialbuildings, sites and installations, and civil constructions. As usedherein the term “thermodynamic” includes all state variables that can beused to characterize a physical system. Examples of thermodynamicvariables include, but are not limited to: pressure, temperature,airflow, humidity, and particulate matter.

According to some embodiments, the VSCU units are configured andprogrammed to automatically determine, based on sensed performance data,when one or more air filters of the HVAC system (see, for example,filter 246 of FIG. 2B, supra) needs to be changed. For one embodiment,this is performed using only the multi-sensor capability provided on theVSCU units themselves, such as by recognizing a gradual pattern overtime that it is taking the house longer to heat up or cool down thannormal. For other embodiments, additional sensors are provided, such asair flow sensors installed in one or more ventilation ducts, the sensorsbeing equipped which communicate wirelessly with the VSCU units such asby using the low-power ZigBee protocol (or other wireless protocol),such that a gradual pattern over time of slowing airflow can be sensedthat is indicative of a clogged air filter. For still other embodiments,custom filters that are specially equipped with air flow sensors orother sensors whose readings can be used to detect clog-related behaviorare provided, and are equipped to communicate wirelessly with the VSCUunits such as by using the low-power ZigBee protocol. For oneembodiment, the additional sensors are power using energy harvestingtechnology, such as by harvesting energy from oscillations or vibrationscaused by airflow thereby. In one embodiment, an e-mail, text message,or machine audio voice call is sent to the customer to alert them of theneed for a new filter. In one embodiment, a business method is providedin which the need for a new filter is automatically communicated to anexternal service provider, such as the handyman/home repair company 1214of FIG. 12, supra, which triggers an automated maintenance ticket event,or such as the VSCU data service provider 1208 of FIG. 12 or acommercial warehouse, which triggers an automated shipping of a newfilter to the customer's doorstep.

For other embodiments, similar automated detection, customer alerting,and maintenance event triggering as described in the preceding paragraphis provided for any type of HVAC system anomaly such as, but not limitedto, the general failure of the house to heat or cool to the set pointtemperature or the clogging of a particular duct in the house (e.g., itsairflow readings are grossly different than that of other sensors inother ducts). For one embodiment, acoustic signature sensing can be usedto detect system anomalies, which takes advantage of the fact that asystem's heating and cooling start up and shut down activity will oftenbe characterized by unique yet repeatable noise signatures (e.g., fannoises, particular creaks and moans for older installations, etc), andthat an onset of a variation in these noise signatures can be indicativeof a system anomaly. In still other embodiments, baseline electricalnoise patterns can be associated with each different HVAC control wireand stored, and then the VSCU unit 100 can automatically detect apotential system anomaly by sensing a significant variation in the noisepattern of one or more of the HVAC control wires.

For still other embodiments, other types of auxiliary sensors related toHVAC functionality, including both self-powering energy-harvestingsensors and those that get their power from other sources such as AC orbatteries, are provided that are capable of ZigBee communication and arecompatible with the VSCU Efficiency Platform, and used to sense systemanomalies and/or maintenance-related information that the VSCU units canthen act upon. In one example, a replacement cap for an outside propaneor heating oil tank is provided that is capable of wirelessly sendingfuel levels to the VSCU units, the cap optionally being powered byenergy harvesting from the wind. In another example, a replacement capfor a coolant loop check valve is provided that is capable of wirelesslysending coolant loop pressure readings or a low-coolant alarms to theVSCU units, the cap optionally being powered by energy harvesting fromcompressor vibrations or other air conditioning system vibrations.According to some embodiments, the initial setup interview includes thefollowing interactive questioning flow. The VSCU unit display formatwill look similar to FIGS. 5A-5B, with a first prompt being “Set-up VSCUfor a: {Home} {Business}” where the notional “{X}” is used herein todenote that “X” is one of the user choices. If the user chooses “Home”then a first set of questions is asked, whereas if the user chooses“Business” then a second set of questions is asked. The first set ofquestions proceeds as follows: “Are you home at noon? {Usually} {NotUsually}” followed by “Are you home at 4 PM? {Usually} {Not Usually}”followed by “Do you have electric heat?” {Electric} {Not Electric} {IDon't Know}” followed by a request for location information such as theZIP code and street address of the home. The second set of questionsapplicable to a business proceeds as follows: “Is this business openevenings? {Usually} {Not Usually}” followed by “Open Saturdays?{Usually} {Not Usually}” followed by “Open Sundays? {Usually} {NotUsually}” followed by “Do you have electric heat?” {Electric} {NotElectric} {I Don't Know}” followed by a request for location informationsuch as the ZIP code and the street address of the business. It is to beappreciated that the above questions and selective answers are presentedby way of example only, and not by way of limitation, and that manyother questions and selective answers can be provided in addition to, oras an alternative to, these examples without departing from the scope ofthe present teachings.

According to some embodiments, the ZIP code of the household or businessis asked at a point near the beginning of the setup interview, and thendifferent setup interview questions can be asked that are pre-customizedfor different geographical regions based on the ZIP code. This is usefulbecause the best set of interview questions for Alaskan homes orbusinesses, for example, will likely be different than the best set ofinterview questions for Floridian homes, for example.

According to some embodiments, the user's responses to the questions atthe initial setup interview are used to automatically “snap” thathousehold onto one of a plurality of pre-existing template schedules,i.e. a schedule of time intervals and set point temperatures for eachtime interval, stored in the VSCU unit and corresponding to some of themost common household or business paradigms. Examples of differenthousehold paradigms, each of which can have its own pre-existingtemplate schedule, can include: working couple without kids; workingcouple with infants or young children; working family; working spousewith stay-at-home spouse; young people with active nightlife who workfreelance from home; retired couple; and solo retiree. The templateschedules to which the household is “snapped” at system initializationbased on the setup interview (or at some other time upon user request)serve as convenient starting points for the operational control of theHVAC system for a large number of installations. The users can thenmodify their template schedules (e.g., using the user on the VSCU unititself, the web interface, or smart phone interface, etc.) to suit theirindividual desires. The VSCU units may also modify these templateschedules automatically based on learned occupancy patterns and manualuser temperature control setting patterns. By way of nonlimitingexample, a typical template schedule for a working family would be, forheating in wintertime “Mo Tu We Th Fr: [7:00 68] [9:00 62] [16:00 68][22:00 62] Sa Su [7:00 68] [22:00 62]” (meaning that, for all fiveweekdays the set point temperatures will be 68 degrees from 7 AM-9 AM,then 62 degrees from 9 AM-4 PM, then 68 degrees from 4 PM-10 PM, then 62degrees from 10 PM-7 AM, and that for both weekend days the set pointtemperatures will be 68 degrees from 7 AM-10 PM, then 62 degrees from 10PM-7 AM), and for cooling in summertime, “Mo Tu We Th Fr: [7:00 75][9:00 82] [16:00 78] [22:00 75] Sa Su [7:00 75] [9:00 78] [22:00 75].”In other embodiments, permissible swing temperature amounts, humidityranges, and so forth can also be included in the template schedules.

For one embodiment, template schedules can be shared, similar to the wayiTunes music playlists can be shared, optionally in a social networkingcontext. For example, a user can post their template schedule on theirFacebook or MySpace page for other people to download. Custom orstandardized template schedules can be provided based on house size orZIP code. Templates schedules will preferably be calendar-based (e.g.,scheduled differently for Christmastime when more people are home). Thisis superior to prior art scheduling in which all customers everywhereare given the same schedule or the same set of strictures within whichto program their schedule.

For one embodiment, customized installation instructions can be providedto the user based on their previously installed thermostat model. Theuser can go to the VSCU manufacturer's web site and enter their currentthermostat make and model, and then a custom set of instructions basedon the known wiring pattern of that model are provided for viewing,download, and printing. Optionally, customized videos on the user'scomputer or smart phone are provided. For one more advanced preferredembodiment, the user can take a photo of their current thermostat andsubmit it to the VSCU manufacturer's web site where its make and modelwill be automatically determined using machine vision techniques, sothat the user does not need to figure out their current make and model.

For one embodiment, the VSCU units are configured and programmed toautomatically detect and correct for exposure of one or more VSCU unitsto direct sunlight. Although users are advised, as with any thermostat,to avoid placing the VSCU units in areas of direct sunlight, it has beenempirically found that many will place a VSCU unit where it will getdirect sunlight for at least part of the day during at least a part ofthe year. Direct sunlight exposure can substantially confound HVACsystem effectiveness because the temperature will be sensed as beingincorrectly high, for example, the VSCU unit will measure 80 degreeswhen it is really only 68 degrees in the room. According to anembodiment, the one or more VSCU units are programmed to detect a directsunlight exposure situation, such as by temperature tracking overperiods of several days to several weeks and then filtering for periodicbehaviors characteristic of direct sunlight exposure, and/or filteringfor characteristic periodic discrepancies between multiple VSCU units.Correction is then implemented using one more correction methods.

By way of example and not by way of limitation, one simple method forcorrection for heating and cooling is to apply a direct numerical biasto the sunlight-bathed sensor reading during the direct sunlightinterval based on knowledge from ambient light sensor reading, currenttime, current exact or approximate date, previous heat/cool cycleduration, temperature changes, and humidity changes. The VSCU unitlearns from the first couple of occurrences the time and duration atwhich the sunlight falls on the device. For example, if the sunlight hitthe sensor between 9:00-9:15 AM the day before in the spring, it willlook for the sunlight occurrence around 8:58-9:13 AM the next day. Ifthe heat/cool cycle is not needed during this time, one way to correctit would be to make an estimate of the temperature when the effect ofthe direct sunlight diminishes and make an interpolation between thecurrent temperature and the predicted temperature between 8:58-9:13 AM.If the heat/cool cycle needs to be on, it learns from the previouscycles and make an estimate of cycle duration and temperature changes.It may use humidity and other sensors (in the device itself or inanother device nearby) to verify the heat/cool cycle is on and remainson for an appropriate amount of time.

For some embodiments, the VSCU units provide optimal yet energy savingcontrol based on human comfort modeling. In one example, if the userkeeps turning up the thermostat above the set points provided in thetemplate schedule, then VSCU units learn that and increase the setpoints in their template schedule. By way of further example, if theoutside temperature has been 80 degrees for many days, and then for oneday it is suddenly 60 degrees, the VSCU unit will keep the house at awarmer set point than if the outside temperature has been 60 degrees formany days. The reason is that humans are known to get accustomed tooutside weather patterns that have been prevailing for a period of time,and so are more sensitive to sudden temperature changes than to longerterm temperature changes. For example, if it has been 60 degrees formany days, the people will be more likely to dress warmer on an ongoingbasis (put on sweatshirts and the like) and so the set point can begradually lowered and/or the amount of swing can be gradually raised tosave energy.

As another example of optimal yet energy saving control based on humancomfort modeling, for one embodiment the VSCU is configured to performin an advantageous way based on a predicted return time of the occupant.For this embodiment, the idea is to purposely pre-heat (or pre-cool in acounterpart example) the house, but only to a limited extent, perhapsonly 60% of the difference between the “Away” and “Occupied” set points,until there is actually an occupancy detection event. For example, ifthe “Away” set point temperature is 64, and the “Occupied” set pointtemperature is 74, then the VSCU units start heating the house 20minutes before the expected home arrival time, but only do so until thehouse heats up to 70 degrees. Then, when the occupant walks through thedoor, the remaining 4 degree heat-up is triggered by the VSCU units. Inaddition to saving energy, this can also be pleasing to the senses ofthe returning occupant, because the heat will be blowing, which gives asense of hominess and of feeling welcome, a sense of “it is great to behome, it is so nice.” Moreover, it has been found that people are a lotmore tolerant to the lower temperature immediately after they havewalked through door than if they have been home for a while.

As another example of optimal yet energy saving control provided by theVSCU units, there is a control algorithm found to provide good resultsfor situations of extended but finite opening of an external door, suchas cases in which an occupant is bringing in the Christmas Tree or thegroceries. In particular, if it usually takes 5 minutes to heat from 68to 72, and it suddenly has taken 5 minutes just to heat from 68 to 69 orthere has been no change at all from 68 in 5 minutes of heating, theVSCU unit will immediately turn off the heat for 10-15 minutes, and thentry again to raise the temperature back to 72, under the possibilitythat the anomaly was temporary. And if it was indeed temporary, then thesituation has resolved itself. But if the failure to heat up happensagain, then there can be an alarm (or text message) that requests theuser's attention, and if there is no response from the user the systemis shut down because there is obviously something wrong. An e-mailmessage can be sent to the user such as “We have ruled out these thingsx-y-z from our sensor logs, maybe there is an outside door open or a-b-cis wrong.”

For another embodiment, there is provided a combined business andtechnical method relating to the “learning” process of the VSCU unit100. The VSCU units are programmed to provide substantial “learning”about user occupancy and temperature control patters. The user will beadvised at various times, such as by remote access, e-mail, SMS, VSCUunit display, etc., regarding the progress of the learning (e.g., “youroccupancy information is 60 percent learned”). However, there will alsobe an ability for the users to turn off the learning function becausethey might not be comfortable with in. In one embodiment, the VSCUsystem will “act” like it is not learning (such as by stopping theprogress messages), but will actually still be learning in thebackground, running in a simulation mode and continue to compile thelearning data. Then, after some period has passed, the VSCU unit cancompute the energy cost difference between the actual model it wasrunning, versus the simulation model it was running in the background.If there is a substantial difference of “X” dollars, the user can beshown or sent a message such as, “You could have saved $44 if you hadenabled learning-driven control, are you sure that you do not want toturn it on now?”

For another embodiment, there is provided a combined business andtechnical method in which users are offered a subscription service by aVSCU data service provider. As the VSCU data service provider comes upwith new types of algorithms, they can offer VSCU unit customers asubscription to an external control/optimization service. As part of theoffering process, the VSCU data service provider can run the newalgorithms on the historical internal and external temperature data forthat customer, and then say to them (by VSCU unit display or remoteaccess display, for example), “If you had subscribed to thisoptimization service, you would have saved $88 last year”. Similarofferings can be made for discrete firmware version upgrades, e.g., “Ifyou had purchased VSCU unit software version 2.0 instead of staying withversion 1.0, you would have saved $90. Would you like to buy version 2.0now for $20?”

For another embodiment, there is provided a combined business andtechnical method in which users are given advisory messages (by VSCUunit display or remote access display, for example) such as follows: “AVSCU-capable house in your ZIP code having the same size as your housespent $1000 for heating and cooling, whereas you spent $2000. You mayhave a leak or weather-stripping problem. You may wish to call ABC HVACService Company at 650-555-1212 who can do an energy audit to help youfigure out what is wrong.”

For another embodiment, the VSCU units are programmed and configured toprovide the user with the ability to control their HVAC systemexclusively on the basis of an HVAC budget rather than on targettemperature settings. The user simply enters a dollar amount per monththat they want to spend on HVAC, and the VSCU automatically adjusts thesettings such that the selected amount will be spent, in the mostcomfortable (or least uncomfortable) manner possible according to theuser's known occupancy patterns and preferences. Optionally, the usercan manually turn the set temperature up or down from theVSCU-established schedule, but if they do so, the VSCU unit willimmediately display the difference in cost that will occur (For example,“Extra $5 per day: Continue? {Yes} {No}”. The calculations can take intoaccount seasonal weather patterns, what month it is now, weatherforecasts, and so forth. For another embodiment, the VSCU unit can askthe user, on its own initiative, “Do you want to save $100 this month byhaving VSCU manage your settings? {Yes} {No}” (as opposed to just asking“how about reducing temperature one degree”).

For another embodiment, the VSCU units are programmed and configured toprovide the user with “pre-paid HVAC” and/or “pay as you go HVAC”. Basedon a pre-paid amount or a pre-budgeted amount, the VSCU display willshow the dollar amount that is remaining from that pre-paid or budgetedamount. This can be particularly useful in landlord-tenant environmentsor property management environments, wherein the landlord can program inthe amount, and the tenant can see how much is left at any particularpoint in time. This can also be useful for vacation homes, allowingproperty managers to remotely manage power usage and settings. As partof this, the software locking mechanism described previously candetermine who is using the thermostat based on personal codes, so theVSCU will know the identity of the user. This can still be useful in asingle-family home setting, where certain targets can be set and thefamily can dynamically see a running tally as to how well they areperforming relative to that target. The money amounts can be a set ofdefault estimates, or can be based on actual usage as accessed from autility company database using, for example, smart-meter readings.

For another embodiment, the VSCU units are programmed and configured toprovide temperature setting governance based on user identity. Thesoftware locking functionality is used to ensure that only people withpasscodes can change the VSCU temperature settings, and the VSCU unitfurthermore recognizes a separate landlord (or other “governor”)password and one or more separate tenant (or other “governee”)passwords. The landlord can then login and set a maximum settemperature, such as 75. Thereafter, although the tenant can maketemperature changes, the VSCU unit will not allow the tenant to set thetemperature above 75 degrees. Various tamper-proofing mechanisms can beprovided. As a default tamper-proofing mechanism, the landlord would beable to access the VSCU data service provider web site to ensure thatthe VSCU unit is reporting in at regular intervals with its usage data,to request weather data, and so forth.

For another embodiment, with reference to the hotel 1202 of FIG. 12, theVSCU data service provider 1208 can provide the hotel front desk with aweb-based, cloud-based, or custom software package that providesautomated, comprehensive, dynamic control of the VSCU unit temperaturesettings in each guest room. For example, the room VSCU temperature setpoint can be adjusted to comfortable levels when the guest first checksin, and then returned to energy-saving levels when the guest has checkedout. Also, during the guest's stay, intrinsic occupancy detection (usingthe unit's own sensors) and/or extrinsic occupancy detection (automatedsensing the door being locked from the inside by a hotel computerconnected to the VSCU hotel management system) can be used to activatecomfort levels versus power-saving levels. This can be similarly usefulfor vacation homes as remotely managed by property management companies.

Further provided by the VSCU units is an automated override oroverwriting of template schedule set point levels or time intervaldefinitions that the user may have manually specified to the VSCU unit,either by remote control or direct entry into the VSCU unit (such asduring the setup interview), based on their actual control behaviorsafter those inputs were made. For example, if the user specified in thesetup interview that they come home at 5 PM every day, but then thereare multiple days in a row (for example, 2 days or 3 days in a row) thatthe temperature was turned up from 62 to 65 at 4:30 PM, this is used toweight the schedule and turn the set point up to 65 at 4:20 PMthereafter, such that the temperature will be preheated to 65 by 4:30 PMwhen the user is expected to walk through the door. The automaticchanges made by the VSCU units to the template schedule to conformaround the actual occupancy behavior of the user, rather than the user'sown estimates of their occupancy behavior, can take place gradual over aperiod of many days, or can be immediately effective on a single day,without departing from the scope of the present teachings.

For another embodiment, the VSCU units are programmed and configured toautomatically switch over from heating to cooling functionality byresolving any ambiguity in user intent based on sensed information. Partof the elegance of the VSCU unit 100 of FIGS. 1A-1C is the absence of aHEAT-OFF-AC switch. One issue raised by this is potential ambiguityregarding user intent in the event of certain user control inputs. Forexample, if the user changes the set point from 78 to 65, there may bean ambiguity whether they simply wanted to turn off the heat or whetherthey want to turn on the air conditioning. According to an embodiment,the VSCU units resolve an ambiguity whether to switch over depending onthe context of the set point change and the values of the old and newset point. In one embodiment, the method comprises the steps of: (a)maintaining an updated value for a drift temperature, defined as anestimated temperature to which the controlled space would drift if noHVAC heating or cooling were applied to the controlled space; (b)receiving the user set point change from an old set point to a new setpoint, (c) evaluating the values of the old set point and new set pointin view of the current temperature and the drift temperature (forexample, place them on a state diagram having three regions segregatedby the current and drift temperatures) to classify the set point changein terms of whether a mode switchover (i.e., a switchover from heatingto cooling or cooling to heating) was (i) clearly not intended, (ii)clearly intended, or (iii) possibly intended by the user in making theset point change; and (d) if classified in step (c) as “possiblyintended”, and if the new set point lies between the current temperatureand the drift temperature, request the user to choose between (i) anactive switchover to achieve the new set point, and (ii) naturaldrifting to the new set point, along with a graphical illustration thatthe natural drifting option represents a more energy-saving option.Another related functionality is that whatever the user chooses in step(d), use this as a learning point and then the next time this happens,you can automatically make the determination based on what you learnedfrom the user's choice. For this method, there can alternatively be adifferent parameter used instead of the drift temperature for the statediagram, for example, the outside temperature, the outside temperatureplus 10 degrees, a “minimum comfort temperature”, or the like. It may bethat in California the best number to use is the drift temperature,whereas in Minnesota it may be the minimum comfort temperature.

For some embodiments, which are particularly applicable in view ofongoing improvements in automated sensing, a personalized controlparadigm is promoted by the VSCU units, that is, the VSCU units functionto automatically detect and identify individual users in the home andattempt to identify their current and upcoming individual needs anddesires with respect to VSCU-related functionality. For one example, theVSCU units are programmed with a “fingerprinting” functionality torecognize a particular user who is making a current control adjustmentat the face of the unit, and then adjusting its response if appropriatefor that user. For example, the particular way the user has turned theVSCU unit outer ring, or where they put their fingers on the VSCU unitdial or body (using touch sensors), how much pressure they exert for aninward click, and how close their body is to the VSCU unit dial (using aproximity sensor) can be used as their “fingerprint”. In one example,each user can be identified and initially “fingerprinted” in a separatequestion-and-answer session, and their personal preferences canthereafter be learned by virtue of their control inputs to the VSCUunits from both remote locations and on the dial. At first, most of thefingerprinting can be done via user's commands from their mobile phoneas well as the web. People will be controlling the thermostat a lot fromtheir phone before getting home, or after they have left. Also, if theyare somewhere else with an easier access to a computer (or even at homecomputer), they will use the web. Personalized control from VSCU unitscan be based on multiple maps of a “user comfort model” for theidentified person. A model is built on what their preference/physicalcomfort zone is like. But if there are multiple users who have verydifferent preferences, there may be a benefit in building two (or more)different models than to completely average them. The VSCU can learn toimplement a comfortable temperature based on one model or the otherbased on who is at home, for example, based on which mobile device is athome (or other signatures) or which user is away by virtue of havingaccessed the system from a remote IP address. A web service can be usedto inform these differences, which is informative to the user (and mayresult in the user telling their spouse to put on a sweater). For oneconcrete example of individualized occupancy detection and set pointadjustment according to an embodiment, the VSCU units can make aconclusion that a first occupant “M” likes it cooler, while a secondoccupant “W” likes it warmer based on their settings and their remoteand direct controls to the VSCU units. When the system determines that“W” is home and “M” is not at home, then the temperature is set higher,or otherwise follows a separate template schedule customized for “W”.The presence of “W” and the absence of “M” can be detected, for example,using IP traffic analysis methods to determine that “M” is still at workwhile the home is sensed to have an occupant, which must be “W”.

Provided according to some embodiments is a gesture-based user interfacefor the VSCU units. For one embodiment, a touch-sensitive display isprovided in which sliding touch controls are enabled, similar to swipecontrols and other gestures used by the iPad and iPhone. Alternatively,a small camera can be placed on the VSCU unit, which is programmed withthe ability to process the optical input information such that it canrecognize hand gestures (clockwise hand rotation to turn up thetemperature, counterclockwise to turn down the temperature), similar tothe way that the Microsoft Kinect™ sensor works in conjunction with theXbox 360® video gaming console to provide controller-free, gesture-baseduser inputs (i.e., inputs based on hand, foot, or body motion withoutrequiring the user to hold a controller device or to otherwise have ahardware input device on their person).

Provided according to some embodiments is an VSCU unit, which canfunction as either an auxiliary VSCU unit or primary VSCU unit, having anetwork-only user interface such that the physical unit itself has nocontrols whatsoever. The user must have a data appliance to access itand control it. The network-only VSCU unit may be useful for manysituations such as college dormitories, or can be a very low-coststarter VSCU unit for a young but technically savvy apartment dweller.

Provided according to some embodiments is the use and functionality ofinstalled VSCU units to serve as an HVAC-centric home energy hub basedon the VSCU Energy Efficiency Platform with which many common homeappliances will be compatible under license or other businessarrangement with the VSCU unit manufacturer and/or VSCU data serviceprovider. The VSCU units are functional as central “energy hub” for thewhole house. The VSCU unit is a good way to instantiate such a “homeenergy network” because people need a thermostat anyway, and once it isinstalled it can be the core for such a network. For example, usingwireless communications the VSCU unit can communicate with thedishwasher, or the refrigerator. If the user walks up to the dishwasherand attempts to start it, there can be a display on the dishwasher thatsays “Would you like to start the load now for $1, or wait until 2 AMand do the load for 20 cents?” The VSCU units serve and the conduit andcore for such a platform. In one example of many advantages, withoccupancy sensing the VSCU unit can sense when the occupants are nothome, and automatically command the refrigerator to turn up its setpoint by 2 degrees, and then command it to return to normal after theVSCU has sensed that the occupants have returned. Similarfunctionalities can be provided in conjunction with any hot waterheaters, hot tubs, pool heaters, and so forth that are equipped andlicensed to be compatible with the VSCU Energy Efficiency Platform.

For some embodiments, business methods are provided for effectivecommercial introduction and rollout of the VSCU units and the evolutionof the VSCU Efficiency Platform. At a start date of first productintroduction, the simpler DIY packages of VSCU units are made availableat a retail level including both online stores and brick-and-mortarstores. For buying a first primary VSCU unit, the customer gets free webaccess to the online tools of the VSCU data service provider (who can bethe same entity as, or a partner entity to, the manufacturer of the VSCUunit), including for example the web-based remote control functionalityas shown in FIGS. 13A-13B. A number of months into their usage, the website shows the customer their energy usage and control history under theVSCU scheme, including how much money they have already saved because oftheir conversion. A number of months from the start date, the“professional” package VSCU units are released and professionalinstallation made available, the first auxiliary units are madeavailable, and fee-based subscriptions are made available to all usersto a web-based service that provides them with opportunities foradditional savings, such as to give them access to use specialenergy-saving schedule templates that have been developed based on moreaccurate building information, patterns detected in their particularoccupancy history, or the particular weather history/forecasts aroundthat home. Also a number of months from the start date, each user isprovided with a reminder that they can save even more money by buying anauxiliary VSCU unit, and the above-described filter replacement programis also rolled out. Also a number of months from the start date, theusers can get game-style rankings, including leaf icon rewards, of howthey are doing in their neighborhood, or against some other population,with respect to energy efficiency. For example, the user can bepresented with their percentile ranking against that population. Theycan try to be the number one with the most green leafs in thatpopulation. Web-based or cloud-based software that facilitatesmulti-tenant building control and hotel control can subsequently berolled out. At a later point when there is enough user mass, the VSCUdata service provider can provide web-based or cloud-based software tobecome a VSCU Efficiency Platform facilitator for utility companies,i.e., the utility companies will be clients of the VSCU data serviceprovider, who will help them who can offer programs or services based onthe VSCU Efficiency Platform. For one embodiment, the utility companywill encourage its customers to switch over to VSCU unit-based control,for example by heavily subsidizing purchase of the VSCU units.Optionally, the utility company can offer energy discounts or otherfinancial incentives for VSCU unit-based customers to “opt in” to aprogram that gives the utility company at least some degree of remotecontrol over their VSCU units during times of peak loads or energyemergencies.

Provided in one embodiment is a filterless HVAC system. Instead of usinga disposable filter, which can reduce HVAC efficiency when it starts toget clogged, the HVAC system is equipped with a filtering system similarto those used in one or more bagless vacuum cleaners and identified byvarious trade names such as “cyclonic” or “tornado” or “wind tunnel”,for example the Dyson DC25 Upright Vacuum cleaner, the Hoover WindtunnelII Bagless Upright Vacuum Cleaner, the Bissell 5770 Healthy Home BaglessUpright Vacuum, the Electrolux EL 7055A Twin Clean Bagless CanisterVacuum, and/or the Hoover UH70010 Platinum Collection Cyclonic BaglessUpright Vacuum Cleaner. By designing the filter out of the HVAC systemaltogether, the homeowner simply needs to change a canister once in awhile, and the HVAC system does not lose efficiency over time like aregular filter does.

Provided in some embodiments are VSCU units into which are integrallyprovided other essential home monitoring device functionalities combinedsmoke detection, heat detection, motion detection, and CO2 detection. Asan optional business method, such VSCU units can be sold at a deepdiscount or given away for free, with revenue being generated instead bysubscriptions to the data services of the VSCU data service provider.Alternatively, they can be given away for free or heavily subsidized bya utility company that is partnered with the VSCU data service providerin exchange for customer “opt in” to voluntary data collection and/orremote VSCU setting programs applicable during periods of energyshortage or other energy emergency.

Provided according to some embodiments are algorithms for automated setpoint determination based on a set point temperature schedule and manualuser set point modifications. As an ongoing rule for any manual user setpoint change, any set point entered by the user at a primary orauxiliary VSCU user interface will take effect for a maximum of fourhours, at which point operation is then returned to the normal set pointschedule. In the event that the normal set point schedule would call fora scheduled temperature change within that four hour interval (forexample, a scheduled change to a sleeping temperature at 10:00 PM), thenthat scheduled temperature set point overrides the manual user set pointinput at that time.

Provided according to some embodiments are algorithms for set pointschedule departure and/or set point schedule modification based onsensed enclosure occupancy and user set point modification behaviors.One example of such a set point schedule departure algorithm, termedherein an “auto away/auto arrival” algorithm, is described furtherhereinbelow.

FIGS. 15A-15D illustrate time plots of a normal set point temperatureschedule versus an actual operating set point plot corresponding to anexemplary operation of an “auto away/auto arrival” algorithm accordingto a preferred embodiment. Shown in FIG. 15A, for purposes of clarity ofdisclosure, is a relatively simple exemplary thermostat schedule 1502for a particular weekday, such as a Tuesday, for a user (perhaps aretiree, or a stay-at-home parent with young children). The schedule1502 simply consists of an awake/at home interval between 7:00 AM and9:00 PM for which the desired temperature is 76 degrees, and a sleepinginterval between 9:00 PM and 7:00 AM for which the desired temperatureis 66 degrees. For purposes of the instant description, the schedule1502 can be termed the “normal” set point schedule. The normal set pointschedule 1502 could have been established by any of a variety of methodsdescribed previously in the instant disclosure, described previously inone or more of the commonly assigned incorporated applications, or bysome other method. For example, the normal set point schedule 1502 couldhave been established explicitly by direct user programming (e.g., usingthe Web interface), by setup interview in which the set point scheduleis “snapped” into one of a plurality of predetermined schedules (e.g.,retiree, working couple without kids, single city dweller, etc.), byautomated learning based on user set point modifications from a“flatline” starting schedule, or by any of a variety of other methods.

In accordance with a preferred “auto away” algorithm, an enclosureoccupancy state is continuously and automatically sensed using the VSCUmulti-sensing technology, the currently sensed state being classified asoccupied (or “home” or “activity sensed”) or unoccupied (or “away” or“inactive”). If the currently sensed occupancy state has been “inactive”for a predetermined minimum interval, termed herein an away-stateconfidence window (ASCW), then an “auto-away” mode of operation istriggered in which an actual operating set point 1504 is changed to apredetermined energy-saving away-state temperature (AST), regardless ofthe set point temperature indicated by the normal thermostat schedule1502. The purpose of the “auto away” mode of operation is to avoidunnecessary heating or cooling when there are no occupants present toactually experience or enjoy the comfort settings of the schedule 1502,thereby saving energy. The AST may be set, by way of example, to adefault predetermined value of 62 degrees for winter periods (or outsidetemperatures that would call for heating) and 84 degrees for summerperiods (or outside temperatures that would call for cooling).Optionally, the AST temperatures for heating and cooling can beuser-settable.

The away-state confidence window (ASCW) corresponds to a time intervalof sensed non-occupancy after which a reasonably reliable operatingassumption can be made, with a reasonable degree of statisticalaccuracy, such that there are indeed no occupants in the enclosure. Formost typical enclosures, it has been found that a predetermined periodin the range of 90-180 minutes is a suitable period for the ASCW, toaccommodate for common situations such as quiet book reading, steppingout to the corner mailbox, short naps, etc. in which there is no sensedmovement or related indication for the occupancy sensors to sense.

In the example of FIG. 15A-15D, exemplary description is provided in thecontext of a heating scenario with an ASCW of 120 minutes, and an AST of62 degrees, with it to be understood that counterpart examples forcooling and for other ASCW/AST value selection would be apparent to aperson skilled in the art in view of the present description and arewithin the scope of the embodiments. Shown for purposes of illustrationin FIG. 15B is the scheduled set point plot 1502 and actual operatingset point plot 1504, along with a sensed activity timeline (A_(S))showing small black oval markers corresponding to sensed activity, thatis current as of 11:00 AM. Notably, as of 11:00 AM, there wassignificant user activity sensed up until 10:00 AM, followed by aone-hour interval 1506 of inactivity. Shown in FIG. 15C are thescheduled and actual set point plots as of 4:00 PM. As illustrated inFIG. 15C, an “auto-away” mode was triggered at 12:00 PM after 120minutes of inactivity, the actual operating set point 1504 departingfrom the normal scheduled set point 1502 to the AST temperature of 62degrees. As of 4:00 PM, no activity has yet been sensed subsequent tothe triggering of the “auto-away” mode, and therefore the “auto-away”mode remains in effect.

The “auto-away” mode can be terminated based on sensed events, thepassage of time, and/or other triggers that are consistent with itsessential purpose, the essential purpose being to save energy when nooccupant, to a reasonably high statistical degree of probability, arepresent in the enclosure. For one embodiment, the “auto-away” mode ofoperation maintains the set point temperature at the energy-saving ASTtemperature until one of the following occurs: (i) a manual correctiveinput is received from the user; (ii) an “auto-return” mode of operationis triggered based on sensed occupancy activity; (iii) normal occupantsleeping hours have arrived and a determination for a “vacation” modehas not yet been reached; or (iv) the subsequent day's “wake” or “athome” interval has arrived and a determination for a “vacation” mode hasnot yet been reached.

Thus, shown in FIG. 15D is are the scheduled and actual set point plotsas of 12:00 AM. As illustrated in FIG. 15D, occupancy activity startedto be sensed for a brief time interval 1508 at about 5 PM, whichtriggered the “auto-return” mode, at which point the actual operatingset point 1504 was returned to the normal set point schedule 1502.

Preferably, the user is provided with an ability (e.g., during initialsetup interview, by the Web interface, etc.) to vary the ASCW accordingto a desired energy saving aggressiveness. For example, a user whoselects a “highly aggressive” energy saving option can be provided withan ASCW of 45 minutes, with the result being that the system's“auto-away” determination will be made after only 45 minutes ofinactivity (or “away” or “unoccupied” sensing state).

Various methods for sub-windowing of the ASCW time period and filteringof sensed activity can be used to improve the reliability of thetriggering of the “auto-away” mode. Various learning methods for“understanding” whether sensed activity is associated with humanpresence versus other causes (pets, for example) can also be used toimprove the reliability of the triggering of the “auto-away” mode. Forone embodiment, a “background” level of sensed activity (i.e., activitythat can be attributed to sensed events that are not the result of humanoccupancy) can be interactively learned and/or confirmed based on theabsence of corrective manual set point inputs during an “auto-away” modeperiod. For example, if there are no corrective manual set point changesfor a period of time following after the “auto-away” mode is triggered,and such absence of corrective input repeats itself on several differentoccasions, then it can be concluded that the type and/or degree ofsensed activity associated with those intervals can be confirmed asbeing “background” levels not associated with human presence, thereasoning being that if a human were indeed present, there would havebeen some type of corrective activity on one or more of such occasions.

In a manner similar to the “auto-away” occupancy evaluation, thetriggering of an “auto-return” mode of operation is likewise preferablybased on sub-windowed time windows and/or filtering of the sensedactivity, such that spurious events or other events not associated withactual human presence do not unnecessarily trigger the “auto-return”mode. For one example, the sensing process involves separatelyevaluating 5-minute subwindows (or subwindows of other suitableduration) of time in terms of the presence or absence of sensed activityduring those subwindows. If it is found that a threshold amount ofactivity is sensed in two adjacent ones of those time subwindows, thenthe “auto-return” mode is triggered (see, for example, the time interval1508 of FIG. 15D). Upon triggering, the “auto-return” mode operates byreturning the set point to the normal set point schedule 1502.

Provided according to one embodiment is an algorithm for set pointschedule modification based on occupancy patterns and/or correctivemanual input patterns associated with repeated instances of “auto-away”mode and/or “auto-arrival” mode operation. Occupancy and/or correctivemanual input behaviors associated with “auto-away/auto-arrival” mode arecontinuously monitored and filtered at multiple degrees of timeperiodicity in order to detect patterns in user occupancy that can, inturn, be leveraged to “trim” or otherwise “tune” the set pointtemperature schedule to better match actual occupancy patterns. Byfiltering at multiple levels of time periodicity, it is meant thatassociated patterns are simultaneously sought (i) on a contiguouscalendar day basis, (ii) on a weekday by weekday basis, (iii) on aweekend-day by weekend-day basis, (iv) on a day-of-month by day-of-monthbasis, and/or on the basis of any other grouping of days that can belogically linked in terms of user behavior. Thus, for example, if aparticular occupancy and/or corrective manual input behavior associatedwith “auto-away/auto-arrival” is observed for a series of successiveFridays, then the set point temperature schedule for Fridays is adjustedto better match the indicated occupancy pattern. If a particularoccupancy and/or corrective manual input behavior associated with“auto-away/auto-arrival” is observed for both a Saturday and Sunday, andthen for the next Saturday and Sunday, and then still for the followingSaturday and Sunday, then the set point temperature schedule forSaturdays and Sundays is adjusted to better match the indicatedoccupancy pattern detected. As yet another example, if a particularoccupancy and/or corrective manual input behavior associated with“auto-away/auto-arrival” is observed for the 2^(nd) through 7^(th) dayof the month for several months in a row, then the set point temperatureschedule for the 2^(nd) through 7^(th) day of the month is adjusted, andso on.

FIGS. 16A-16D illustrate one example of set point schedule modificationbased on occupancy patterns and/or corrective manual input patternsassociated with repeated instances of “auto-away” mode and/or“auto-arrival” mode operation according to an embodiment. For thisexample, it is observed over time that, for a user whose normal setpoint temperature indicates they are home all day on weekdays, the“auto-away” mode is triggered near noon on Wednesday for multiple weeks(FIGS. 16A-16C) without any corrective manual user inputs, and then the“auto-arrival” mode is triggered near 5:00 PM for those days. This maycorrespond, for example, to a retiree who has decided to volunteer atthe local library on Wednesdays. Once this pattern has been reliablyestablished (for example, after having occurred three Wednesdays in arow), then as illustrated in FIG. 16D, the normal set point temperatureschedule is automatically “tuned” or “trimmed” such that, for thefollowing Wednesday and all Wednesdays thereafter, there is an “away”period scheduled for the interval between 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM, becauseit is now expected that the user will indeed be away for this timeinterval.

Importantly, if there had occurred a corrective user input (which can becalled a “punishing” user input) on one of the days illustrated in FIGS.16A-16C, then the set point schedule is not automatically “tuned” tothat shown in FIG. 16D. Such corrective or “punishing” input could occurfor circumstances in which (i) the auto-away mode has been triggered,(ii) there is not enough sensed occupancy activity (after filtering for“background” events) to trigger the “auto-return” mode, and (iii) theuser is becoming uncomfortable and has walked up to the thermostat toturn up the temperature. By way of example, it may be the case thatinstead of going to the library on Wednesday at 10:00 AM, the user wentupstairs to read a book, with a sole first-floor VSCU unit not sensingtheir presence and triggering auto-away at 12:00 PM, the user thenbecoming uncomfortable at about 12:45 PM and then coming downstairs tomanually turn up the temperature. Because the user's “punishing” inputhas made it clear that the algorithm is “barking up the wrong tree” forthis potential pattern, the set point schedule is not automatically“tuned” to that shown in FIG. 16D, and, in one embodiment, thispotential pattern is at least partially weighted in the negativedirection such that an even higher degree of correlation will be neededin order to establish such pattern in the future. Advantageously, forthe more general case, the user's “punishing” inputs may also be used toadjust the type and/or degree of filtering that is applied to theoccupancy sensing algorithms, because there has clearly been anincorrect conclusion of “inactivity” sensed for time interval leading upto the “punishing” corrective input.

Whereas the “auto away/auto arrival” algorithm of the above-describedembodiments is triggered by currently sensed occupancy information, inanother embodiment there is provided automated self-triggering of “autoaway/auto arrival” algorithm based on an empirical occupancy probabilitytime profile that has been built up by the VSCU unit(s) over an extendedperiod of time. For one embodiment, the empirical occupancy probabilitytime profile can be expressed as a time plot of a scalar value (anempirical occupancy probability or EOP) representative of theprobability that one or more humans is occupying the enclosure at eachparticular point in time. Any of a variety of other expressions (e.g.,probability distribution functions) or random variable representationsthat reflect occupancy statistics and/or probabilities can alternativelybe used rather than using a single scalar metric for the EOP.

For one embodiment, the VSCU unit is configured to self-trigger into an“auto-away” mode at one or times during the day that meet the followingcriteria: (i) the normal set point schedule is indicative of a scheduled“at home” time interval, (ii) the empirical occupancy probability (EOP)is below a predetermined threshold value (e.g., less than 20%), (iii)the occupancy sensors do not sense a large amount of activity that wouldunambiguously indicate that human occupants are indeed present in theenclosure, and (iv) the occupancy sensors have not yet sensed a lowenough level of activity for a sufficiently long interval (i.e., theaway-state confidence window or ASCW) to enter into the “auto away” modein the “conventional” manner previously described. Once these conditionsare met and the “auto-away” mode has been self-triggered, reversion outof the “auto away” mode can proceed in the same manner (e.g., by“auto-arrival” triggering, manual corrective user input, etc.) as forthe “conventional” auto-away mode. Automated tuning of the set pointtemperature schedule based on the “lessons learned” (i.e., based onoccupancy patterns and/or corrective manual input patterns associatedwith repeated instances of “auto-away” mode) can be based on thecombined observations from the “conventionally” triggered auto-away modeand the self-triggered auto-away mode algorithms.

The above-described self-triggering of the “auto-away” mode, which isbased at least in part on empirical occupancy probability (EOP), hasbeen found to provide for more complete and more statistically precise“tuning” of the set point temperature schedule when capered to tuningthat is based only on the “conventional” auto-away triggering method inwhich only current, instantaneous occupancy information is considered.One reason relates to the large number of activity-sensing data samplesused in generating the EOP metric, making it a relevant and useful basisupon which to perform the occupancy “test” afforded by the “auto-away”process. From one perspective, the “auto-away” process can be thought ofas a way to automatically “poke” or “prod” at the user's ecosystem tolearn more detail about their occupancy patterns, without needing to askthem detailed questions, without needing to rely on the correctness oftheir responses, and furthermore without needing to rely exclusively onthe instantaneous accuracy of the occupancy sensing hardware.

FIGS. 17A-D illustrates a dynamic user interface for encouraging reducedenergy use according to a preferred embodiment. The method of FIGS.17A-D are preferably incorporated into the time-to-temperature userinterface method of FIGS. 3A-3K, supra, although the scope of thepresent teachings is not so limited. As would be readily appreciated bya person skilled in the art, although disclosed in FIGS. 17A-17D in theheating context, application to the counterpart cooling context would beapparent to one skilled in the art in view of the present disclosure andis within the scope of the present teachings. Where, as in FIG. 17A, theheating set point is currently set to a value known to be within a firstrange known to be good or appropriate for energy conservation, apleasing positive-reinforcement icon such as the green leaf 1742 isdisplayed. As the user turns up the heat (see FIG. 17B) the green leafcontinues to be displayed as long as the set point remains in that firstrange. However, as the user continues to turn up the set point to avalue greater than the first range (see FIG. 17C), there is displayed anegatively reinforcing icon indicative of alarm, consternation, concern,or other somewhat negative emotion, such icon being, for example, aflashing red version 1742′ of the leaf, or a picture of a smokestack, orthe like. It is believed that the many users will respond to thenegatively reinforcing icon 1742′ by turning the set point back down,and as illustrated in FIG. 17D, if the user returns the set point to avalue lying in the first range, they are “rewarded” by the return of thegreen leaf 1742. Many other types of positive-emotion icons or displayscan be used in place of the green leaf 1742, and likewise many differentnegatively reinforcing icons or displays can be used in place of theflashing red leaf 1742′, while remaining within the scope of the presentteachings.

FIGS. 18A-B illustrate a thermostat 1800 having a user-friendlyinterface, according to some embodiments. The term “thermostat” is usedhereinbelow to represent a particular type of VSCU unit (VersatileSensing and Control) that is particularly applicable for HVAC control inan enclosure. Although “thermostat” and “VSCU unit” may be seen asgenerally interchangeable for the contexts of HVAC control of anenclosure, it is within the scope of the present teachings for each ofthe embodiments hereinabove and hereinbelow to be applied to VSCU unitshaving control functionality over measurable characteristics other thantemperature (e.g., pressure, flow rate, height, position, velocity,acceleration, capacity, power, loudness, brightness) for any of avariety of different control systems involving the governance of one ormore measurable characteristics of one or more physical systems, and/orthe governance of other energy or resource consuming systems such aswater usage systems, air usage systems, systems involving the usage ofother natural resources, and systems involving the usage of variousother forms of energy. Unlike many prior art thermostats, thermostat1800 preferably has a sleek, simple, uncluttered and elegant design thatdoes not detract from home decoration, and indeed can serve as avisually pleasing centerpiece for the immediate location in which it isinstalled. Moreover, user interaction with thermostat 1800 isfacilitated and greatly enhanced over known conventional thermostats bythe design of thermostat 1800. The thermostat 1800 includes controlcircuitry and is electrically connected to an HVAC system, such as isshown with thermostat 110 in FIGS. 1 and 2. Thermostat 1800 is wallmounted, is circular in shape, and has an outer rotatable ring 1812 forreceiving user input. Thermostat 1800 is circular in shape in that itappears as a generally disk-like circular object when mounted on thewall. Thermostat 1800 has a large front face lying inside the outer ring1812. According to some embodiments, thermostat 1800 is approximately 80mm in diameter. The outer rotatable ring 1812 allows the user to makeadjustments, such as selecting a new target temperature. For example, byrotating the outer ring 1812 clockwise, the target temperature can beincreased, and by rotating the outer ring 1812 counter-clockwise, thetarget temperature can be decreased. The front face of the thermostat1800 comprises a clear cover 1814 that according to some embodiments ispolycarbonate, and a metallic portion 1824 preferably having a number ofslots formed therein as shown. According to some embodiments, thesurface of cover 1814 and metallic portion 1824 form a common outwardarc or spherical shape gently arcing outward, and this gentle arcingshape is continued by the outer ring 1812.

Although being formed from a single lens-like piece of material such aspolycarbonate, the cover 1814 has two different regions or portionsincluding an outer portion 1814 o and a central portion 1814 i.According to some embodiments, the cover 1814 is painted or smokedaround the outer portion 18140, but leaves the central portion 1814 ivisibly clear so as to facilitate viewing of an electronic display 1816disposed thereunderneath. According to some embodiments, the curvedcover 1814 acts as a lens that tends to magnify the information beingdisplayed in electronic display 1816 to users. According to someembodiments the central electronic display 1816 is a dot-matrix layout(individually addressable) such that arbitrary shapes can be generated,rather than being a segmented layout. According to some embodiments, acombination of dot-matrix layout and segmented layout is employed.According to some embodiments, central display 1816 is a backlit colorliquid crystal display (LCD). An example of information displayed on theelectronic display 1816 is illustrated in FIG. 18A, and includes centralnumerals 1820 that are representative of a current set pointtemperature. According to some embodiments, metallic portion 1824 hasnumber of slot-like openings so as to facilitate the use of a passiveinfrared motion sensor 1830 mounted therebeneath. The metallic portion1824 can alternatively be termed a metallic front grille portion.Further description of the metallic portion/front grille portion isprovided in the commonly assigned U.S. Ser. No. 13/199,108, supra. Thethermostat 1800 is preferably constructed such that the electronicdisplay 1816 is at a fixed orientation and does not rotate with theouter ring 1812, so that the electronic display 1816 remains easily readby the user. For some embodiments, the cover 1814 and metallic portion1824 also remain at a fixed orientation and do not rotate with the outerring 1812. According to one embodiment in which the diameter of thethermostat 1800 is about 80 mm, the diameter of the electronic display1816 is about 45 mm. According to some embodiments an LED indicator 1880is positioned beneath portion 1824 to act as a low-power-consumingindicator of certain status conditions. For, example the LED indicator1880 can be used to display blinking red when a rechargeable battery ofthe thermostat (see FIG. 4A, infra) is very low and is being recharged.More generally, the LED indicator 1880 can be used for communicating oneor more status codes or error codes by virtue of red color, green color,various combinations of red and green, various different blinking rates,and so forth, which can be useful for troubleshooting purposes.

Motion sensing as well as other techniques can be use used in thedetection and/or predict of occupancy, as is described further in thecommonly assigned U.S. Ser. No. 12/881,430, supra. According to someembodiments, occupancy information is used in generating an effectiveand efficient scheduled program. Preferably, an active proximity sensor1870A is provided to detect an approaching user by infrared lightreflection, and an ambient light sensor 1870B is provided to sensevisible light. The proximity sensor 1870A can be used to detectproximity in the range of about one meter so that the thermostat 1800can initiate “waking up” when the user is approaching the thermostat andprior to the user touching the thermostat. Such use of proximity sensingis useful for enhancing the user experience by being “ready” forinteraction as soon as, or very soon after the user is ready to interactwith the thermostat. Further, the wake-up-on-proximity functionalityalso allows for energy savings within the thermostat by “sleeping” whenno user interaction is taking place our about to take place. The ambientlight sensor 1870B can be used for a variety of intelligence-gatheringpurposes, such as for facilitating confirmation of occupancy when sharprising or falling edges are detected (because it is likely that thereare occupants who are turning the lights on and off), and such as fordetecting long term (e.g., 24-hour) patterns of ambient light intensityfor confirming and/or automatically establishing the time of day.

According to some embodiments, for the combined purposes of inspiringuser confidence and further promoting visual and functional elegance,the thermostat 1800 is controlled by only two types of user input, thefirst being a rotation of the outer ring 1812 as shown in FIG. 18A(referenced hereafter as a “rotate ring” or “ring rotation” input), andthe second being an inward push on an outer cap 1808 (see FIG. 18B)until an audible and/or tactile “click” occurs (referenced hereafter asan “inward click” or simply “click” input). For the embodiment of FIGS.18A-18B, the outer cap 1808 is an assembly that includes all of theouter ring 1812, cover 1814, electronic display 1816, and metallicportion 1824. When pressed inwardly by the user, the outer cap 1808travels inwardly by a small amount, such as 0.5 mm, against an interiormetallic dome switch (not shown), and then springably travels backoutwardly by that same amount when the inward pressure is released,providing a satisfying tactile “click” sensation to the user's hand,along with a corresponding gentle audible clicking sound. Thus, for theembodiment of FIGS. 18A-18B, an inward click can be achieved by directpressing on the outer ring 1812 itself, or by indirect pressing of theouter ring by virtue of providing inward pressure on the cover 1814,metallic portion 1814, or by various combinations thereof. For otherembodiments, the thermostat 1800 can be mechanically configured suchthat only the outer ring 1812 travels inwardly for the inward clickinput, while the cover 1814 and metallic portion 1824 remain motionless.It is to be appreciated that a variety of different selections andcombinations of the particular mechanical elements that will travelinwardly to achieve the “inward click” input are within the scope of thepresent teachings, whether it be the outer ring 1812 itself, some partof the cover 1814, or some combination thereof. However, it has beenfound particularly advantageous to provide the user with an ability toquickly go back and forth between registering “ring rotations” and“inward clicks” with a single hand and with minimal amount of time andeffort involved, and so the ability to provide an inward click directlyby pressing the outer ring 1812 has been found particularlyadvantageous, since the user's fingers do not need to be lifted out ofcontact with the device, or slid along its surface, in order to gobetween ring rotations and inward clicks. Moreover, by virtue of thestrategic placement of the electronic display 1816 centrally inside therotatable ring 1812, a further advantage is provided in that the usercan naturally focus their attention on the electronic display throughoutthe input process, right in the middle of where their hand is performingits functions. The combination of intuitive outer ring rotation,especially as applied to (but not limited to) the changing of athermostat's set point temperature, conveniently folded together withthe satisfying physical sensation of inward clicking, together withaccommodating natural focus on the electronic display in the centralmidst of their fingers' activity, adds significantly to an intuitive,seamless, and downright fun user experience. Further descriptions ofadvantageous mechanical user-interfaces and related designs, which areemployed according to some embodiments, can be found in U.S. Ser. No.13/033,573, supra, U.S. Ser. No. 29/386,021, supra, and U.S. Ser. No.13/199,108, supra.

FIG. 18C illustrates a cross-sectional view of a shell portion 1809 of aframe of the thermostat of FIGS. 18A-B, which has been found to providea particularly pleasing and adaptable visual appearance of the overallthermostat 1800 when viewed against a variety of different wall colorsand wall textures in a variety of different home environments and homesettings. While the thermostat itself will functionally adapt to theuser's schedule as described herein and in one or more of the commonlyassigned incorporated applications, supra, the outer shell portion 1809is specially configured to convey a “chameleon” quality orcharacteristic such that the overall device appears to naturally blendin, in a visual and decorative sense, with many of the most common wallcolors and wall textures found in home and business environments, atleast in part because it will appear to assume the surrounding colorsand even textures when viewed from many different angles. The shellportion 1809 has the shape of a frustum that is gently curved whenviewed in cross-section, and comprises a sidewall 1876 that is made of aclear solid material, such as polycarbonate plastic. The sidewall 1876is backpainted with a substantially flat silver- or nickel-coloredpaint, the paint being applied to an inside surface 1878 of the sidewall1876 but not to an outside surface 1877 thereof. The outside surface1877 is smooth and glossy but is not painted. The sidewall 1876 can havea thickness T of about 1.5 mm, a diameter dl of about 78.8 mm at a firstend that is nearer to the wall when mounted, and a diameter d2 of about81.2 mm at a second end that is farther from the wall when mounted, thediameter change taking place across an outward width dimension “h” ofabout 22.5 mm, the diameter change taking place in either a linearfashion or, more preferably, a slightly nonlinear fashion withincreasing outward distance to form a slightly curved shape when viewedin profile, as shown in FIG. 18C. The outer ring 1812 of outer cap 1808is preferably constructed to match the diameter d2 where disposed nearthe second end of the shell portion 1809 across a modestly sized gap g1therefrom, and then to gently arc back inwardly to meet the cover 1814across a small gap g2. It is to be appreciated, of course, that FIG. 18Conly illustrates the outer shell portion 1809 of the thermostat 1800,and that there are many electronic components internal thereto that areomitted from FIG. 18C for clarity of presentation, such electroniccomponents being described further hereinbelow and/or in other ones ofthe commonly assigned incorporated applications, such as U.S. Ser. No.13/199,108, supra.

According to some embodiments, the thermostat 1800 includes a processingsystem 1860, display driver 1864 and a wireless communications system1866. The processing system 1860 is adapted to cause the display driver1864 and display area 1816 to display information to the user, and toreceiver user input via the rotatable ring 1812. The processing system1860, according to some embodiments, is capable of carrying out thegovernance of the operation of thermostat 1800 including the userinterface features described herein. The processing system 1860 isfurther programmed and configured to carry out other operations asdescribed further hereinbelow and/or in other ones of the commonlyassigned incorporated applications. For example, processing system 1860is further programmed and configured to maintain and update athermodynamic model for the enclosure in which the HVAC system isinstalled, such as described in U.S. Ser. No. 12/881,463, supra.According to some embodiments, the wireless communications system 1866is used to communicate with devices such as personal computers and/orother thermostats or HVAC system components, which can be peer-to-peercommunications, communications through one or more servers located on aprivate network, or and/or communications through a cloud-based service.

FIGS. 19A-19B illustrate exploded front and rear perspective views,respectively, of the thermostat 1800 with respect to its two maincomponents, which are the head unit 1900 and the back plate 2000.Further technical and/or functional descriptions of various ones of theelectrical and mechanical components illustrated hereinbelow can befound in one or more of the commonly assigned incorporated applications,such as U.S. Ser. No. 13/199,108, supra. In the drawings shown, the “z”direction is outward from the wall, the “y” direction is the head-to-toedirection relative to a walk-up user, and the “x” direction is theuser's left-to-right direction.

FIGS. 20A-20B illustrate exploded front and rear perspective views,respectively, of the head unit 1900 with respect to its primarycomponents. Head unit 1900 includes a head unit frame 1910, the outerring 1920 (which is manipulated for ring rotations), a head unit frontalassembly 1930, a front lens 1980, and a front grille 1990. Electricalcomponents on the head unit frontal assembly 1930 can connect toelectrical components on the backplate 2000 by virtue of ribbon cablesand/or other plug type electrical connectors.

FIGS. 21A-21B illustrate exploded front and rear perspective views,respectively, of the head unit frontal assembly 1930 with respect to itsprimary components. Head unit frontal assembly 1930 comprises a headunit circuit board 1940, a head unit front plate 1950, and an LCD module1960. The components of the front side of head unit circuit board 1940are hidden behind an RF shield in FIG. 21A but are discussed in moredetail below with respect to FIG. 24. On the back of the head unitcircuit board 1940 is a rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery 1944, which forone preferred embodiment has a nominal voltage of 3.7 volts and anominal capacity of 560 mAh. To extend battery life, however, thebattery 1944 is normally not charged beyond 450 mAh by the thermostatbattery charging circuitry. Moreover, although the battery 1944 is ratedto be capable of being charged to 4.2 volts, the thermostat batterycharging circuitry normally does not charge it beyond 3.95 volts. Alsovisible in FIG. 21B is an optical finger navigation module 1942 that isconfigured and positioned to sense rotation of the outer ring 1920. Themodule 1942 uses methods analogous to the operation of optical computermice to sense the movement of a texturable surface on a facing peripheryof the outer ring 1920. Notably, the module 1942 is one of the very fewsensors that is controlled by the relatively power-intensive head unitmicroprocessor rather than the relatively low-power backplatemicroprocessor. This is achievable without excessive power drainimplications because the head unit microprocessor will invariably beawake already when the user is manually turning the dial, so there is noexcessive wake-up power drain anyway. Advantageously, very fast responsecan also be provided by the head unit microprocessor. Also visible inFIG. 21A is a Fresnel lens 1957 that operates in conjunction with a PIRmotion sensor disposes thereunderneath.

FIGS. 22A-22B illustrate exploded front and rear perspective views,respectively, of the backplate unit 2000 with respect to its primarycomponents. Backplate unit 2000 comprises a backplate rear plate 2010, abackplate circuit board 2020, and a backplate cover 2080. Visible inFIG. 22A are the HVAC wire connectors 2022 that include integrated wireinsertion sensing circuitry, and two relatively large capacitors 2024that are used by part of the power stealing circuitry that is mounted onthe back side of the backplate circuit board 2020 and discussed furtherbelow with respect to FIG. 25.

FIG. 23 illustrates a perspective view of a partially assembled headunit front 1900 showing the positioning of grille member 1990 designedin accordance with aspects of the present invention with respect toseveral sensors used by the thermostat. In some implementations, asdescribed further in U.S. Ser. No. 13/199,108, supra, placement ofgrille member 1990 over the Fresnel lens 1957 and an associated PIRmotion sensor 334 conceals and protects these PIR sensing elements,while horizontal slots in the grille member 1990 allow the PIR motionsensing hardware, despite being concealed, to detect the lateral motionof occupants in a room or area. A temperature sensor 330 uses a pair ofthermal sensors to more accurately measure ambient temperature. A firstor upper thermal sensor 330 a associated with temperature sensor 330tends to gather temperature data closer to the area outside or on theexterior of the thermostat while a second or lower thermal sensor 330 btends to collect temperature data more closely associated with theinterior of the housing. In one implementation, each of the temperaturesensors 330 a and 330 b comprises a Texas Instruments TMP112 digitaltemperature sensor chip, while the PIR motion sensor 334 comprisesPerkinElmer DigiPyro PYD 1998 dual element pyrodetector.

To more accurately determine the ambient temperature, the temperaturetaken from the lower thermal sensor 330 b is taken into consideration inview of the temperatures measured by the upper thermal sensor 330 a andwhen determining the effective ambient temperature. This configurationcan advantageously be used to compensate for the effects of internalheat produced in the thermostat by the microprocessor(s) and/or otherelectronic components therein, thereby obviating or minimizingtemperature measurement errors that might otherwise be suffered. In someimplementations, the accuracy of the ambient temperature measurement maybe further enhanced by thermally coupling upper thermal sensor 330 a oftemperature sensor 330 to grille member 1990 as the upper thermal sensor330 a better reflects the ambient temperature than lower thermal sensor334 b. Details on using a pair of thermal sensors to determine aneffective ambient temperature is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,741,476,which is incorporated by reference herein.

FIG. 24 illustrates a head-on view of the head unit circuit board 1940,which comprises a head unit microprocessor 2402 (such as a TexasInstruments AM3703 chip) and an associated oscillator 2404, along withDDR SDRAM memory 2406, and mass NAND storage 2408. For Wi-Fi capability,there is provided in a separate compartment of RF shielding 2434 a Wi-Fimodule 2410, such as a Murata Wireless Solutions LBWAI9XSLZ module,which is based on the Texas Instruments WL1270 chipset supporting the802.11b/g/n WLAN standard. For the Wi-Fi module 2410 is supportingcircuitry 2412 including an oscillator 2414. For ZigBee capability,there is provided also in a separately shielded RF compartment a ZigBeemodule 2416, which can be, for example, a C2530F256 module from TexasInstruments. For the ZigBee module 2416 there is provided supportingcircuitry 2418 including an oscillator 2419 and a low-noise amplifier2420. Also provided is display backlight voltage conversion circuitry2422, piezoelectric driving circuitry 2424, and power managementcircuitry 2426 (local power rails, etc.). Provided on a flex circuit2428 that attaches to the back of the head unit circuit board by a flexcircuit connector 2430 is a proximity and ambient light sensor(PROX/ALS), more particularly a Silicon Labs SI1142 Proximity/AmbientLight Sensor with an I2C Interface. Also provided is batterycharging-supervision-disconnect circuitry 2432, and spring/RF antennas2436. Also provided is a temperature sensor 2438 (rising perpendicularto the circuit board in the +z direction containing two separatetemperature sensing elements at different distances from the circuitboard), and a PIR motion sensor 2440. Notably, even though the PROX/ALSand temperature sensors 2438 and PIR motion sensor 2440 are physicallylocated on the head unit circuit board 1940, all these sensors arepolled and controlled by the low-power backplate microcontroller on thebackplate circuit board, to which they are electrically connected.

FIG. 25 illustrates a rear view of the backplate circuit board 2020,comprising a backplate processor/microcontroller 2502, such as a TexasInstruments MSP430F System-on-Chip Microcontroller that includes anon-board memory 2503. The backplate circuit board 2020 further comprisespower supply circuitry 2504, which includes power-stealing circuitry,and switch circuitry 2506 for each HVAC respective HVAC function. Foreach such function the switch circuitry 2506 includes an isolationtransformer 2508 and a back-to-back NFET package 2510. The use of FETsin the switching circuitry allows for “active power stealing”, i.e.,taking power during the HVAC “ON” cycle, by briefly diverting power fromthe HVAC relay circuit to the reservoir capacitors for a very smallinterval, such as 100 micro-seconds. This time is small enough not totrip the HVAC relay into the “off” state but is sufficient to charge upthe reservoir capacitors. The use of FETs allows for this fast switchingtime (100 micro-seconds), which would be difficult to achieve usingrelays (which stay on for tens of milliseconds). Also, such relays wouldreadily degrade doing this kind of fast switching, and they would alsomake audible noise too. In contrast, the FETS operate with essentiallyno audible noise. Also provided is a combined temperature/humiditysensor module 2512, such as a Sensirion SHT21 module. The backplatemicrocontroller 2502 performs polling of the various sensors, sensingfor mechanical wire insertion at installation, alerting the head unitregarding current vs. set point temperature conditions and actuating theswitches accordingly, and other functions such as looking forappropriate signal on the inserted wire at installation.

In accordance with the teachings of the commonly assigned U.S. Ser. No.13/269,501, supra, the commonly assigned U.S. Ser. No. 13/275,307,supra, and others of the commonly assigned incorporated applications,the thermostat 1800 represents an advanced, multi-sensing,microprocessor-controlled intelligent or “learning” thermostat thatprovides a rich combination of processing capabilities, intuitive andvisually pleasing user interfaces, network connectivity, andenergy-saving capabilities (including the presently describedauto-away/auto-arrival algorithms) while at the same time not requiringa so-called “C-wire” from the HVAC system or line power from a householdwall plug, even though such advanced functionalities can require agreater instantaneous power draw than a “power-stealing” option (i.e.,extracting smaller amounts of electrical power from one or more HVACcall relays) can safely provide. By way of example, the head unitmicroprocessor 2402 can draw on the order of 250 mW when awake andprocessing, the LCD module 1960 can draw on the order of 250 mW whenactive. Moreover, the Wi-Fi module 2410 can draw 250 mW when active, andneeds to be active on a consistent basis such as at a consistent 2% dutycycle in common scenarios. However, in order to avoid falsely trippingthe HVAC relays for a large number of commercially used HVAC systems,power-stealing circuitry is often limited to power providing capacitieson the order of 100 mW-200 mW, which would not be enough to supply theneeded power for many common scenarios.

The thermostat 1800 resolves such issues at least by virtue of the useof the rechargeable battery 1944 (or equivalently capable onboard powerstorage medium) that will recharge during time intervals in which thehardware power usage is less than what power stealing can safelyprovide, and that will discharge to provide the needed extra electricalpower during time intervals in which the hardware power usage is greaterthan what power stealing can safely provide. In order to operate in abattery-conscious manner that promotes reduced power usage and extendedservice life of the rechargeable battery, the thermostat 1800 isprovided with both (i) a relatively powerful and relativelypower-intensive first processor (such as a Texas Instruments AM3703microprocessor) that is capable of quickly performing more complexfunctions such as driving a visually pleasing user interface display andperforming various mathematical learning computations, and (ii) arelatively less powerful and less power-intensive second processor (suchas a Texas Instruments MSP430 microcontroller) for performing lessintensive tasks, including driving and controlling the occupancysensors. To conserve valuable power, the first processor is maintainedin a “sleep” state for extended periods of time and is “woken up” onlyfor occasions in which its capabilities are needed, whereas the secondprocessor is kept on more or less continuously (although preferablyslowing down or disabling certain internal clocks for brief periodicintervals to conserve power) to perform its relatively low-power tasks.The first and second processors are mutually configured such that thesecond processor can “wake” the first processor on the occurrence ofcertain events, which can be termed “wake-on” facilities. These wake-onfacilities can be turned on and turned off as part of differentfunctional and/or power-saving goals to be achieved. For example, a“wake-on-PROX” facility can be provided by which the second processor,when detecting a user's hand approaching the thermostat dial by virtueof an active proximity sensor (PROX, such as provided by a Silicon LabsSI1142 Proximity/Ambient Light Sensor with I2C Interface), will “wakeup” the first processor so that it can provide a visual display to theapproaching user and be ready to respond more rapidly when their handtouches the dial. As another example, a “wake-on-PIR” facility can beprovided by which the second processor will wake up the first processorwhen detecting motion somewhere in the general vicinity of thethermostat by virtue of a passive infrared motion sensor (PIR, such asprovided by a PerkinElmer DigiPyro PYD 1998 dual element pyrodetector).Notably, wake-on-PIR is not synonymous with auto-arrival, as there wouldneed to be N consecutive buckets of sensed PIR activity to invokeauto-arrival, whereas only a single sufficient motion event can triggera wake-on-PIR wake-up.

FIGS. 26A-26C illustrate conceptual examples of the sleep-wake timingdynamic, at progressively larger time scales, that can be achievedbetween the head unit (HU) microprocessor and the backplate (BP)microcontroller that advantageously provides a good balance betweenperformance, responsiveness, intelligence, and power usage. The higherplot value for each represents a “wake” state (or an equivalent higherpower state) and the lower plot value for each represents a “sleep”state (or an equivalent lower power state). As illustrated, thebackplate microcontroller is active much more often for polling thesensors and similar relatively low-power tasks, whereas the head unitmicroprocessor stays asleep much more often, being woken up for“important” occasions such as user interfacing, network communication,and learning algorithm computation, and so forth. A variety of differentstrategies for optimizing sleep versus wake scenarios can be achieved bythe disclosed architecture and is within the scope of the presentteachings. For example, the commonly assigned U.S. Ser. No. 13/275,307,supra, describes a strategy for conserving head unit microprocessor“wake” time while still maintaining effective and timely communicationswith a cloud-based thermostat management server via the thermostat'sWi-Fi facility.

FIG. 27 illustrates a self-descriptive overview of the functionalsoftware, firmware, and/or programming architecture of the head unitmicroprocessor 2402 for achieving its described functionalities. FIG. 28illustrates a self-descriptive overview of the functional software,firmware, and/or programming architecture of the backplatemicrocontroller 2502 for achieving its described functionalities.

FIG. 29 illustrates a view of the wiring terminals as presented to theuser when the backplate is exposed. As described in the commonlyassigned U.S. Ser. No. 13/034,666, supra, each wiring terminal isconfigured such that the insertion of a wire thereinto is detected andmade apparent to the backplate microcontroller and ultimately the headunit microprocessor. According to a preferred embodiment, if theinsertion of a particular wire is detected, a further check isautomatically carried out by the thermostat to ensure that signalsappropriate to that particular wire are present. For one preferredembodiment, there is automatically measured a voltage waveform betweenthat wiring node and a “local ground” of the thermostat. The measuredwaveform should have an RMS-type voltage metric that is above apredetermined threshold value, and if such predetermined value is notreached, then a wiring error condition is indicated to the user. Thepredetermined threshold value, which may vary from circuit design tocircuit design depending on the particular selection of the localground, can be empirically determined using data from a population oftypical HVAC systems to statistically determine a suitable thresholdvalue. For some embodiments, the “local ground” or “system ground” canbe created from (i) the Rh line and/or Rc terminal, and (ii) whicheverof the G, Y, or W terminals from which power stealing is beingperformed, these two lines going into a full-bridge rectifier (FWR)which has the local ground as one of its outputs.

FIGS. 30A-30B illustrate restricting user establishment of a newscheduled set point that is within a predetermined time separation (suchas one hour) from a pre-existing scheduled set point, in a subtle mannerthat does not detract from the friendliness of the user interface. Theability to prevent new user-entered scheduled set points that takeeffect within one hour of pre-existing set points can be advantageous inkeeping the overall schedule relatively “clean” from an overpopulationof set points, which in turn can make the schedule more amenable tocomfort-preserving yet energy-conserving automated learning algorithms.In particular, the scheduling user interface of thermostat 1800 operatesto bar the user from entering a new scheduled set point within one hourof a pre-existing set point, but achieves this objective in a way suchthat the user does not feel like they are being explicitly “forced” toplace set points where they do not want to place them, nor are theybeing explicitly “punished” for trying to place a set point where one isnot allowed. Even though this feature may only be subtly apparent to theuser, and even though it may take several second looks to perceive whatthe thermostat user interface is actually doing to achieve this subtleobjective, this feature contributes to the feeling of friendliness, thefeeling of being free from intimidation, on the part of the user andtherefore increases the likelihood that the user will want to “engage”with the thermostat and to “be a part of” its energy saving ecosystem.In FIG. 30A, the user is engaging with a scheduling screen 3050 of thethermostat 1800 in a manner that is further described in U.S. Ser. No.13/269,501, supra, performing ring rotations to move the displayed timeinterval backward and forward in time relative to a timepoint line 3052,which remains static in the middle of the screen. As illustrated, aclock icon 3056 reflects the particular point in time indicated at thetimepoint line 3052. If the user provides an inward click input at FIG.30A when the timepoint line 3052 is not within one hour of apre-existing set point (icon 3054), a menu 3058 appears that presentsthe options “New” and “Done”. The user will be allowed to enter a newset point for the particular point in time indicated by timepoint line3052 by appropriate ring rotation and inward click to select “New.”However, according to a preferred embodiment as shown in FIG. 30B, ifthe timepoint line 3052 is within one hour of the pre-existing set point3054, then the icon 3054 grows in size according to an amount of overlapwith the timepoint line 3052, going to a fully expanded size when thetimepoint line 3052 is directly in the middle of icon 3054 (i.e.,directly at the effective time of the pre-existing set point), andapproaching a regular “background” size as the timepoint line 3052 movesone hour away from the time of that pre-existing set point. Importantly,if the user provides an inward click when the timepoint line 3052 iswithin one hour of the pre-existing set point, then the menu 3059appears, which does not provide a “New” option but instead provides theoptions of “Change” (to change the effective time or temperature of thepre-existing set point), “Remove” (to remove the pre-existing setpoint), and “Done” (to do neither). Advantageously, the user's attentionfocuses on the expanding and contracting icon 3054, which in addition tobeing visually pleasing has a temperature value that is easier to readwhen it is enlarged, as the dial is rotated. When they provide theinward click, the user's attention is focused on the fact that they canchange or remove the existing set point, rather than any sort of“punishment” for trying to establish a new scheduled set point, whichthey have just been subtly prohibited from doing. Finally, in the eventthat the user does elect to change the effective time of thepre-existing set point icon 3054 (using an intuitive “pick up and carry”method, see U.S. Ser. No. 13/269,501, supra), they are allowed to“carry” the pre-existing set point left or right to a new point in time,but as the “carried” icon approaches any other pre-existing set point,it will simply stop moving any closer once it is one hour away from thatother pre-existing set point even if the user keeps rotating the dial.This provides a subtle, non-punishing and non-threatening cue to theuser that they have reached the end of the permissible time shift of the“carried” pre-existing set point icon.

FIGS. 31A-31D illustrate time to temperature display to a user for oneimplementation. Other aspects of preferred time to temperature displaysare described in the commonly assigned U.S. Ser. No. 12/984,602, supra.Preferably, as illustrated FIG. 31B, the time to temperature(hereinafter “T2T”) display 3131 is provided immediately to the userbased on a quick estimate derived from historical performance data forthis particular HVAC system and this particular home as tracked by thisparticular thermostat. As illustrated in FIG. 31C, whenever the displayis activated (such as when the user walks up to the thermostat to checkon it and their close presence is detected by the thermostat's activeshort-range proximity sensor or “PROX”), the T2T display 3131 shows theestimated number of minutes remaining according to an updated estimateof the time remaining. Notably, it has been found that due to anappreciable standard deviation of the T2T estimate in many cases, it ispreferable to simply display “under 10 minutes” (or other suitable smallthreshold) if the T2T estimate is less than that amount, lest the userbe disappointed or think there is a problem if there is a precisecountdown provided that turns out not to be accurate.

FIG. 32 illustrates an example of a preferred thermostat readout when asecond stage heating facility is invoked, such as AUX (auxiliary heatstrip for heat pump systems) or W2 (conventional second stage heating).According to one preferred embodiment, if the initial time totemperature estimate (“T2T”) is more than 20 minutes (or some otherthreshold indicative of an uncomfortably long time) when the temperatureis first turned up (i.e., when the user has turned the dial up or usedthe remote access facility to turn up the operating set pointtemperature), then the second stage heating facility is automaticallyinvoked by the thermostat. For one embodiment the T2T display can simplybe changed to HEATX2 to indicate that the second stage heat facility isactivated. Optionally, there can be provided a T2T estimate in additionto the HEATX2 display, where the T2T computation is specially calibratedto take into account the second stage heating facility. The second stageheating facility will usually remain activated for the entire heatingcycle until the target temperature is reached, although the scope of thepresent teachings is not so limited.

FIGS. 33A-33C illustrate actuating a second stage heat facility during asingle stage heating cycle using time to temperature (T2T) informationaccording to a preferred embodiment. For any of a variety of reasonsranging from an open window to a just-completed sunset, it may happenthat the HVAC system is “falling behind” what was previously expectedusing the first heating stage. For one preferred embodiment, such asituation is automatically detected by the thermostat based on time totemperature (T2T) upon which the second stage heating facility isautomatically invoked. For one preferred embodiment, if the thermostatdetermines that it is more than 10 minutes (or other suitable threshold)behind the initial T2T estimate (i.e., if the current T2T estimatereflects that the total time from the beginning of the cycle until thecurrently estimated end time of the cycle will be more than 10 minutesgreater than the initial T2T estimate), then the second stage heatingfacility will be activated. Stated in terms of an equation, where “t” isthe time since the start of the cycle and “T2T(t)” is the time totemperature estimate at the time “t”, then the second stage heatingfacility becomes invoked if {[t+T2T(t)]−T2T(0)} becomes greater than 10minutes (or other suitable threshold). As with the embodiment of FIG.32, the T2T display can then simply be changed to HEATX2, or optionallythere can also be provided a T2T estimate where the T2T computation isspecially calibrated to take into account the second stage heatingfacility. Preferably, if the cycle is almost complete (for example, T2Tis only 5 minutes or less) at the point in time at which it is firstdetermined that the system is more than 10 minutes behind the initialestimate, the second stage heating facility will not be invoked. For onepreferred embodiment, since it is desirable to keep the head unitprocessor of thermostat 1800 asleep as often as possible, while at thesame time it is desirable to be vigilant about whether the HVAC systemis falling too far behind, there is an automated 15-minute wake-up timerthat is set by the head unit processor before it goes to sleep wheneverthere is an active heating cycle in effect. In this way, in the eventthat the head unit processor is not woken up for some other purposeduring the heating cycle, it will wake up every 15 minutes and performthe computations for determining whether the HVAC system is fallingbehind. The second stage heating facility will usually remain activateduntil the target temperature is reached, although the scope of thepresent teachings is not so limited.

Shown in FIGS. 33A-33C is a particular example in which the initial T2Testimate was 18 minutes (FIG. 33A), but the system starting laggingbehind and by the time 15 minutes had elapsed (FIG. 33B), there was onlymodest progress toward the target temperature. As of FIG. 33B, thesystem is “behind” by 8 minutes since 15 minutes has elapsed and thereare still 11 minutes left to go (that is, T2T(15)=11), so the totalestimated cycle completion time (from start of cycle) is now 26 minutes,which is 8 minutes more than the initial 18 minute estimate. Finally, inFIG. 33C the system has fallen behind by more than 10 minutes, so thesecond stage heat facility is activated and the T2T estimate is replacedby HEATX2.

FIG. 34 illustrates a user interface screen presented to a user by thethermostat 100 (or 1800) in relation to a “selectably automated” testingfor heat pump polarity according to a preferred embodiment. If the userhas a heat pump system, as is automatically detected by virtue of theautomated detection of a wire in the O/B port described elsewhere inthis specification and/or the commonly assigned applications, theselectably automated test will usually occur at or near the end of asetup interview following initial installation for determining whetherthe heat pump operates according to the so-called “O” convention or theso-called “B” convention. For an “O” convention heat pump heating call,the cooling call (Y1) signal type is energized while the heat pump (O/B)signal type is not energized, while for an opposing “B” convention heatpump heating call the Y1 signal type is energized while the heat pump(O/B) signal type is also energized. As described in the commonlyassigned U.S. Ser. No. 13/038,191, supra, the thermostat 100 is capableof performing a completely automated test, in which it first actuatesheating (or cooling) according to the “O” convention (which is generallyknown to be more common for domestic HVAC systems), and thenautomatically senses by virtue of a rising temperature (or a fallingtemperature) whether the heat pump is operating according to that “O”convention. If not, then the less-common “B” convention is tried andsimilarly verified to see if the heat pump is operating according tothat “B” convention.

According to some embodiments for further enhancing the user experienceat initial setup, further automation and selectable automation isprogrammed into the thermostat 100 as follows. For one embodiment, theuser is not bothered with being required to select between whichparticular mode (heating versus cooling) will be used for the O/Borientation test, but rather this decision is made automatically by thethermostat based on one or more extrinsic and/or sensed criteria. In oneexample, based on the ZIP code and current date which has been receivedand/or downloaded, the thermostat can make an educated guess as towhether to use heating or cooling as the first O/B orientation test. Inanother example, the current outside weather (as received from the cloudbased on ZIP code, for example) is used in conjunction with the currentroom temperature to make the determination. In yet another example thathas been found particularly useful, just the current room temperature isused to make the decision based on a predetermined threshold temperaturesuch as 70 degrees F., wherein the heating mode is first used during theO/B orientation test if the current temperature is below 70 degrees F.,and the cooling mode is first used during the O/B orientation test ifthe current temperature is above 70 degrees F.

Notably, the fully automated O/B orientation test can take some time tofinish, since it can take some time to reliably determine the actualtemperature trend in the room. According to one preferred embodiment, atthe outset of the automated O/B orientation test, the user is presentedwith the screen of FIG. 34 in which they are told that an automated heatpump test is occurring, but are also given the option of manuallyintervening to speed up the test, where the manual intervention simplyconsists of telling the thermostat which function is being performed bythe HVAC system, that is, whether the heat is on or whether the coolingis on. Advantageously, the user can choose to intervene by feeling theair flow and answering the question, or they can simply walk away andnot intervene, in which case the automated sensing make thedetermination (albeit over a somewhat longer interval). This “selectablyautomated” O/B orientation test advantageously enhances the userexperience at initial setup.

In one optional embodiment, since it has been found that most users willindeed intervene to provide the right answer and shorten the testanyway, and since a large majority of systems are indeed of the “O”convention, the thermostat 100 can be programmed to default to the “O”convention in the event there is an indeterminate outcome in theautomated test (due to an open window, for example, or thermostatinternal electronic heating) when the user has indeed chosen not tointervene. This is because the “O” answer will indeed be correct in mostcases, and so the number of actual incorrect determinations will be verysmall, and even then, it is generally not a determination that willcause damage but rather will be readily perceived by the user inrelatively short order, and this very small number of users can callcustomer support to resolve the issue upon discovery. In otherembodiments, an indeterminate outcome can raise a warning flag or otheralarm that instructs the user to either manually intervene in the test,or to call customer support. In still other alternative embodiments, the“O” configuration is simply assumed to be the case if the user has notresponded to the query of FIG. 34 after 10 minutes, regardless of thesensed temperature trajectory, which embodiment can be appropriate ifdevice electronic heating concerns at initial installation and startupare expected to lead to wrong conclusions a substantial percentage ofthe time, especially since estimates of the prevalence of the “O”configuration have in some cases exceeded 95%.

Provided according to one preferred embodiment is a method forselectively displaying the emotionally encouraging “leaf” describedabove in the instant application, to encourage the user when they arepracticing good energy saving behavior. This algorithm has been found toprovide good results in that it can be intuitive, rewarding, andencouraging for different kinds of users based on their individualtemperature setting behaviors and schedules, and is not a straight,absolute, one-size-fits-all algorithm. These rules can be applied,without limitation, for walk-up manual dial set point changes, when theuser is interacting over a remote network thermostat access facility,and when the user is adjusting set point entries using a schedulingfacility (either walk-up or remote access). When an example is given forheating, it can be assumed that the same rule applies for cooling,except that the direction is opposite and the numerical threshold willbe different. One useful set of rules is as follows. A set ofjudiciously selected predetermined constants for setting forth the rulesis first described. Let a heat occupied default setting be H_od=68F(representing a generally good “occupied” heat setting to be at orbelow). Let a cool occupied default setting be C_od=76F (representing agenerally good cool “occupied” setting to be at or above). Let a heataway default be H_ad=H_od−6F=62F (representing a generally good heat“away” setting to be at or below). Let a cool away default beC_ad=C_od+6F=82F (representing a generally good cool “away” setting tobe at or above). Let a heat occupied wasting default be H_ow=H_od+6F=74F(representing a generally bad heat “occupied” setting to be above).Finally, let a cool occupied wasting be C_ow=C_od−6F=70F (representing agenerally bad cool “occupied” setting to be below).

When the thermostat is new out of the box (“00B”) and has just beeninstalled, there is a default single set point of H_od=68 F for heatingand C_od=76 F for cooling. For the first 7 days of operation, or someother default initial “00B” period, if the user keeps the setting at orbelow H_od (heat) or at or above C_od (cool), the leaf will be shown, inorder to encourage initial familiarity with the concept and feelingsconveyed. Thus, if the user keeps a heat set point at 68 F or below inthe first 7 days, then the leaf will be displayed. Preferably, as theuser changes the set point temperature gradually above 68F (forheating), the leaf will fade out gradually over the first degree F. suchthat it disappears as 69F is reached. Similar fadeout/fade-in behavioris preferably exhibited for all of the thresholds described herein.

Subsequent to the 7 day period, a set of steady state leaf display rulescan apply. Any time the user changes the current set point to atemperature that is 2 degrees F. less “energetic” (i.e., 2 degrees F.cooler if heating or 2 degrees warmer if cooling) than the currentlyscheduled temperature set point, then the leaf will be displayed.Likewise, if the user creates a set point using the scheduling facilitythat is 2 degrees less energetic than the existing, previously effectiveset point in the schedule, the leaf will be displayed. Preferably,certain limits are overlaid onto these rules. First, any time thetemperature set point is below H_ad=62 F for heat or above C_ad=82F forcooling, or moved to these ranges, the leaf will always be displayed.Second, any time the temperature the set point is above H_ow=74 F forheat or below C_ow=70F for cooling, the leaf will never be displayed.The second “limit” rule can be omitted in some embodiments.

Provided according to one preferred embodiment is a self-qualificationalgorithm by which the thermostat 1800 determines whether it can, orcannot, reliably go into an auto-away state to save energy, i.e.,whether it has “sensor confidence” for its PIR activity. For onepreferred embodiment, the auto-away facility is disabled for apredetermined period such as 7 days after device startup (i.e., initialinstallation or factory reset). On days 5, 6, and 7 from startup (orother empirically predetermined suitable sample time period), the PIRactivity is tracked by discrete sequential “time buckets” of activity,such as 5-minute buckets, where a bucket is either empty (if nooccupancy event is sensed in that interval) or full (if one or moreoccupancy events is sensed in that interval). Out of the total number ofbuckets for that time period (24×12×3=864 for 5-minute buckets), ifthere is greater than a predetermined threshold percentage of bucketsthat are full, then “sensor confidence” is established, and if there isless than that percentage of full buckets, then there is no sensorconfidence established. The predetermined threshold can be empiricallydetermined for a particular model, version, or setting of thethermostat. In one example, it has been found that 3.5% is a suitablethreshold, i.e., if there are 30 or more full buckets for the three-daysample, then “sensor confidence” is established, although this will varyfor different devices models and settings.

Provided according to another preferred embodiment is a method for theautomated computation of an optimal threshold value for the activeproximity detector (PROX) of the thermostat 1800, by virtue ofadditional occupancy information provided by its PIR sensor. In order toconserve power and extend the lifetime of the LCD display and therechargeable battery, as well as for aesthetic advantages in preventingthe thermostat from acting as an unwanted nightlight, the PROX detectoris integrated into the thermostat 1800 and polled and controlled by thebackplate microcontroller (hereinafter “BPμC”) on a consistent basis todetect the close proximity of a user, the LCD display being activatedonly if there is a walk-up user detected and remaining dark otherwise.Operationally, the PROX is polled by the BPμC at regular intervals, suchas every 1/60^(th) of a second, and a PROX signal comprising aDC-removed version of the PROX readings (to obviate the effects ofchanges in ambient lighting) is generated by the BPμC and compared to athreshold value, termed herein a “PROX threshold”. If the PROX signal isgreater than the PROX threshold, the BPμC wakes up the head unitmicroprocessor (“hereinafter “HUμP”), which then activates the LCDdisplay. It is desirable for the PROX threshold to be judiciously chosensuch that (i) the PROX facility is not overly sensitive to noise andbackground activity, which would lead to over-triggering of the PROX andunnecessary waking of the power-intensive HUμP and LCD display, but that(ii) the PROX is not overly insensitive such that the quality of theuser experience in walk-up thermostat use will suffer (because the userneeds to make unnatural motion, for example, such as waving their hand,to wake up the unit).

According to one preferred embodiment, the PROX threshold is recomputedat regular intervals (or alternatively at irregular intervals coincidentwith other HUμP activity) by the HUμP based on a recent history of PROXsignal readings, wherein PIR data is included as a basis for selectingthe historical time intervals over which the PROX signal history isprocessed. It has been found that the best PROX thresholds arecalculated for sample periods in which the noise in the PROX signal isdue to “natural” background noise in the room (such as household lamps),rather than when the PROX signal is cluttered with occupant activitythat is occurring in the room which, generally speaking, can cause thedetermined PROX threshold to be higher than optimal, or otherwisesub-optimal. Thus, according to a preferred embodiment, the HUμP keeps arecent historical record of both PIR activity (which it is collectinganyway for the auto-away facility) as well as PROX signal readings, andthen periodically computes a PROX threshold from the recent historicalPROX data, wherein any periods of PIR-sensed occupant activity areeliminated from the PROX data sample prior to computation of the PROXthreshold. In this way, a more reliable and suitably sensitive, but notoverly sensitive, PROX threshold is determined. For one embodiment, theBPμC keeps one sample of the PROX signal data for every 5 minutes, andtransfers that data to the HUμP each time the HUμP is woken up. For oneembodiment, the HUμP keeps at least 24 hours of the PROX signal datathat is received from the BPμC, and recomputes the PROX threshold atregular 24 hour intervals based on the most recent 24 hours of PROX data(together with a corresponding 24 hours of PIR-sensed occupancy data,such as the above-described auto-away “buckets” of activity). Foranother embodiment, the PROX threshold is recomputed by the HUμP everytime it is about to enter into a sleep state. The recomputed PROXthreshold is transferred to the BPμC, which then uses that new PROXthreshold in determining whether a PROX event has occurred. In otherpreferred embodiments, the thermostat is further configured to harnessthe available ALS (ambient light sensor) data to generate an eventbetter PROX threshold, since it is known that ambient light can add tothe background PROX signal noise as well as to the DC value of the PROXreadings.

Studies have shown that people (segmentations) react very differently todifferent styles of “nudges” or prompts to change their energy behavior.For one preferred embodiment, there is provided a way on the thermostat1800 (and on the corresponding web facility) to measure people'sresponses to different energy prompts. Not only can this provide theright energy saving prompts for an individual over time, but inaggregate, the data can be an enormously useful resource to drivegreater efficiency nationwide. By prompt, it is meant that some peopleare motivated to act by comparing them to their neighbors, some byestimating the money they have lost by not taking certain steps (such asinsulation), some by estimating numbers of barrels of oil saved, etc.According to a preferred embodiment, tracking software and algorithmsfor grouping different prompts are provided in conjunction with thethermostat 1800 (much like web portals use to target advertising oranticipate search results). By understanding what characterizes groupsof people who respond to similar prompts, there could be achieved: savemore energy for learning thermostat customers, further the marketingpotential of the thermostat units, and contribute to some of the biggestquestions governments, nonprofits, academics and utilities are dealingwith today which is how to change behavior to save energy or otherwiseaffect the greater good?

The presently described embodiments relate to “closing the loop” on thevisual reinforcement algorithms provided by the thermostat by detecting,monitoring, and measuring what the user is doing—if anything—responsiveto the operation of the visual reinforcement algorithm. Data can then becollected for a large number of users, and then analyzed to see if thevisual reinforcement algorithm is effective. Correlations can be madebetween particular groupings of users (including but not limited to age,number of people in household, income, location, etc.) and particularvisual reinforcement algorithms. Based on correlations that have beenfound to be successful, the visual reinforcement algorithms can then bechanged or “tuned” for each individual household or other applicablecustomer grouping.

In one example, provided is a thermostatic control system withclosed-loop management of user interface features that encourage energysaving behaviors. In a simplest example of the invention, the thermostatcan operate according to the following steps: (1) Carry out a firstvisual reinforcement algorithm, such as the “leaf algorithm”. (2) Whenthe customer earns a reward, display to them the “reward leaf”. (3) Forthe first minute (or hour, or day) after showing the “reward leaf”,monitor the customer's inputs (if any) and report those inputs to thecentral Nest server over the internet. (4) Analyze the customer's inputs(either separately or in conjunction with a similar group of customers)to determine if the basic “leaf algorithm” was a “success” for thatcustomer (or that group of customers). (5) If the basic leaf algorithmwas not a “success” for that customer or grouping of customers, thenautomatically download a different visual reinforcement algorithm tothat customer's thermostat (or grouping of customer thermostats). By wayof a hypothetical example, if the positive-reinforcement “leafalgorithm” was not successful, the replacement visual reinforcementalgorithm could be a negative-reinforcement “smokestack” algorithm. (6)Repeat steps (2)-(5) as needed to optimize energy saving behavioraccording to some optimization criterion.

In one more complex embodiment of the invention, the thermostats canoperate according to the following steps: (1) Over a population ofdifferent installations, carry out many different visual reinforcementalgorithms for many different customers, on a random basis or accordingto some predetermined distribution scheme; (2) Each time a user is showna “reward” (or “punishment”) according to their particular visualreinforcement algorithm, monitor the customer's inputs (if any) for thefirst minute (or hour, or day) after showing the “reward” (or“punishment”), and report those inputs to the central Nest server overthe internet; (3) Analyze the collected data to determine correlationsbetween the success of certain visual reinforcement algorithms and theclassifications of customers, geographies, etc. for which they aresuccessful; (4) Automatically download the successful visualreinforcement algorithms for the corresponding customers, geographies,etc. for which they are successful. (5) When commissioning newthermostat installations, automatically program in the particular visualreinforcement algorithms most likely to be successful for thatparticular customer (e.g., based on the setup interview, purchase data,customer address, and so forth).

For some embodiments, what can be measured is the result of efficiency“infosnacks” shown on the thermostat display, like “You are using 40%more energy than your neighbors” or “Nest has calculated that your homewould be X % more efficient with proper insulation” or “By not using theAC one day a week you would save 120$ a month.” What people act on, whatpeople ignore, what people want to get more information about can beginto be discovered. Messages could be sent to each user depending on whatthey respond to and in aggregate conclusions could be drawn about thekinds of efficiency information folks respond to and why. Studies haveshown that when given timely and relevant information about their energyuse, consumers can reduce their energy use by 4%-15%. The trouble is, noone quite sure what makes this info relevant and therefore effective.With all the data that can be gotten from users, the thermostat 1800including its surrounding ecosystem as described hereinabove can helpanswer that question.

Platform Architecture.

According to some embodiments, further description regarding platformarchitecture for a VSCU unit will now be provided. The VSCU is apowerful, flexible wall-mounted energy management solution. The hardwareplatform is open and extensible, allowing the system to be used in manyapplications besides the ones that have been targeted initially.

Overview.

The VSCU unit is split into two halves. (1) A head unit: this unitcontains the main processor, storage, local area wireless networking,display and user interface. Also included are a range of environmentalsensors plus a rechargeable battery and power management subsystems. Itis removable by the user and can be connected to a computer forconfiguration; and (2) a backplate: this unit installs on the wall andinterfaces with the HVAC wiring. It provides power to the head unit andalso facilitates control of the attached HVAC systems. Optionally, itmay also include a cellular wireless interface. This split allowssignificant flexibility in terms of installation type whilst allowingthe most complex part of the system to remain common and bemass-produced.

Head Unit.

The VSCU head unit is a powerful self-contained ARM Linux system,providing ample compute resource, local storage, and networking inaddition to an elegant user interface. The design has been optimized forlow power operation, taking advantage of processor power saving modesand mDDR self-refresh to reduce power consumption to minimal levels whenthe system isn't actively being used. The main sections of the head unitare as follows.

Processor and Memory.

A Texas Instruments AM3703 system-on-chip is used as the CPU. Thisprovides: (1) ARM Cortex A8 core with 32k I-Cache, 32k D-Cache and 256kof L2, running at up to 800 MHz at 1.3v. The intended operation pointfor this part is however 300 MHz/1.0v in order to conserve power; and(2) mDDR interface, connected to a 32 Mb×16 mDDR (64 MBytes). When notactively in use, the processor will be forced into a STANDBY mode(likely Standby 1). This power and clock gates most of the SoC tominimize both leakage and dynamic power consumption whilst retaining DDRcontents and being able to wake on any GPIO event or timer tick. In thismode, the SoC and memory are expected to dissipate less than 5 m W ofpower.

Power Management.

The AM3703 is powered by a TI TPS65921 PMU. This part is closely coupledto the CPU and provides power for the CPU, SoC, mDDR and 10. Peripheralsthat do not run from 1.8V are powered off discrete low dropout voltageregulators (LDOs) as this PMU is not intended to power the rest of thesystem. The PMU also provides a USB2-HS PHY which connects to theUSB-mini-B connector on the back of the head unit, used for PC-basedconfiguration.

Mass Storage.

A single 256 MB/512 MB SLC NAND flash chip is used to provide thesystem's mass storage. SLC flash is used to ensure data integrity—we donot want to suffer from boot failures due to data degradation or readdisturb. Most SLC flash retains data for 10 years and up to 100,000cycles. In order to ensure that pages do not get worn out, MTD/JFFS2 isexpected to be used for the partitions that are rewrittenfrequently—this is not required for area that are just read such asX-Loader, U-Boot, etc. Redundant copies of U-Boot, kernel and root filesystem are stored on the NAND to provide a fallback should a softwareupdate go awry.

Display & User Interface.

□A memory-mapped RGB color display with 320×320 pixel resolution and LEDbacklight provides the primary user interface. The backlight brightnesscan be adjusted with a CPU-driven PWM and can be automatically adjustedbased on light sensed by the ambient light sensor. To deal withsituations where the head unit is not running (e.g.: head unit hardwarefailure, battery discharged, etc.), a single tricolor LED connected tothe backplate MCU provides a secondary means of informing the user aboutthe device state. A rotary control with push actuation provides userinput functionality. If the device is pushed in for 10 seconds, the headunit will reboot; this is a hardcoded feature provided by the TI PMU.

Wireless Communications.

The primary communications interface is an 802.11b/g Wi-Fi module basedon the TI WLI271 chip, connected via MMC2. Through this interface theVSCU unit can communicate with the server farm and provide secure remotecontrol of the HVAC system in addition to updating temperature andclimate models, reporting problems and updating software. In addition toWi-Fi, a ZigBee transceiver is provided to communicate both with otherproducts (such as auxiliary thermostats, other VSCU head units,baseboard heater controllers) and also with Smart Energy profiledevices. The ZigBee interface is capable of running as a coordinator(ZC) if there is sufficient power available. ZigBee uses the TI CC2533ZigBee transceiver/controller and is connected to UART2.

Configuration Interface.

A mini-B USB socket, only visible when the head unit is removed from thebackplate, is provided to allow configuration of the device from a PC orMac. The device will appear to be a USB-MSC device when connected, so nodrivers are required on the host side.

Reset.

The head unit can be reset by the MCU if required.

Sensors.

Most sensors are located in the backplate, and are read over the serialinterface; this allows more flexibility with PD to ensure that they areideally located. However, one sensor is located on the head unit as itneeds to be in close proximity to the display—the Ambient LightSensor/Proximity. A Silicon Labs ALS/proximity sensor senses ambientlight (to adjust LCM backlighting) and also near-field proximity toactivate the UI when a user approaches the device. The interrupt line ofthis device is capable of waking the CPU from standby modes.

Backplate Unit.

The backplate unit interfaces with the HV AC system, providing controlof attached HV AC components and also supplying power to the head unit.

Power Supplies.

A high voltage LDO provides a 3.1v bootstrap for the MCU; this can bedisabled under MCU control but it is expected that this will be leftenabled to provide a “safety net” if the head unit supply vanishes forany reason—such as the head unit being removed unexpectedly. The inputto this LDO is provided by diode-OR'ing the heat 1, cool 1 and commonwire circuits together. In normal operation, a 3.3v LDO on the head unitpowers the backplate circuitry; because of the high input voltage tothis LDO, it cannot supply significant current without a lot of heatdissipation. The second supply in the backplate is the high voltagebuck. The input to this supply can be switched to heat 1, cool 1 or thecommon wire under MCU control—only one input is expected to be selectedat a time. The HV buck can supply a maximum of 100 mA at 4.5v.

The output current of the buck is not limited; however, the input on thehead unit is current limited and can be set to one of 3 validconfigurations: (1) 20 mAJ4.5v (90 mW)-low setting for troublesome HVACsystems (FORCE_(—)100 mA low, DOUBLE_CURRENT low); (2) 40 mAJ4.5v (180 mW)—default setting for power stealing (FORCE 100 mA low, DOUBLE CURRENThigh); and (3) 100 mAJ4.5v (450 mW)—highest setting, forced by backplateto bring a head unit with low battery back to operational state(FORCE_(—)100 mA high, DOUBLE_CURRENT low).

The voltage on the buck's input capacitor can be measured by the MCU,allowing it to momentarily open the WI or YI contacts during an“enabled” phase in order to recharge the buck input cap and continue topower steal. This would only be used in a single circuit system (I heatOR 1 cool). When used with two circuits (heat and cool), the systemwould power steal from the non-shorted circuit; with a common wirecircuit, the system would not power steal at all.

Switching. The user install backplate provides switching for 1 heat(WI), 1 cool (YI), fan (G), aux heat (AUX) plus heat pump changeovercontrol (O/B). The pro backplate adds secondary heat (W2), secondarycool (Y2), emergency heat (E), plus dry contacts for a humidifier anddehumidifier. The regular HV AC circuits are switched usingsource-to-source NFETs with transformer isolated gate drive, givingsilent switching. The dry contact circuits use bistable relays with twocoils (set and reset) to open and close the circuits.

Sensors.

Several sensors arc connected to the MCU so that the device can sensethe local environment. Temp/Humidity and pressure sensors are connectedvia the I2C bus and three PIR sensors are also connected on thedevelopment board (one analog, two digital). (1) Temperature andhumidity: a Sensirion SHT21 sensor provides accurate temperature andhumidity sensing whilst taking less than I50 uW of power (150 uW=1reading per second). (2) Pressure: a Freescale MEMS pressure sensorallows measurement of air pressure whilst taking less than 40 u W ofpower (˜1 high resolution reading per second). Fast air pressure changescan indicate occupancy (and HVAC activity). (3) Passive Infra-redmovement sensors: three PIR sensors are present on the board accordingto some embodiments: (a) Murata PIR with filter/preamp: this part is fedinto an analog input on the MCU, and also to a window comparator toprovide a digital output. The analog circuitry effectively provides thefiltering required to remove the DC bias and provide a motion senseoutput to the MCU; and (b) Two Perkin-Elmer digital PIRs: these areconnected to the MCU and are bit-banged to read the internal ADCs. Thisraw value has no DC offset but still requires software filtering toreveal motion activity.

MCU.

The backplate MCU processor is a TI MSP 430F5529 CPU, providing: (1) 12ADC channels for: (a) Voltage measurement/presence detect for commonwire and 8 HV AC circuits; (b) Voltage measurement of HV buck inputcapacitor; and (c) Head unit VBAT measurement; (2) 3 PWM channels fordriving the tricolor LED on the head unit (backplate emergency status);(3) 1 PWM channel to provide the ˜5 MHz transformer drive needed toswitch HV AC circuits; (4) 8 GPIOs to enable the HVAC switches once thePWM is running; (5) 4 GPIOs to set and reset the two dry contact relays;(6) 3 GPIOs to select the HV buck's input source; (7) 2 GPIOs toenable/disable the LDO and HY buck; (8) 2 I2C buses, one for thetemp/humidity sensor and one for the pressure sensor; (9) 1 GPIOconnected to the pressure sensors end of conversion output; (10) 3 GPIOsfor PIR connection; (11) 1 GPIO to detect head unit presence; (12) 1GPIO to reset the head unit; (13) 1 GPIO to force the head unit'scharger to take 100MA; (14) One UART for head unit communication; and(15) One UART for debug (e.g. for a development board).

Reset and Watchdog.

The backplate MCU uses a watchdog to recover from any crashes orinstabilities (eg: ESD related events that destabilize the MCU). Inaddition, the head unit can reset the backplate MCU under softwarecontrol by driving the RESET_BACKPLATE line high. This signal is RCfiltered to prevent false triggers from transient events.

Head Unit—Backplate Interface.

The interface between the two parts of the system consists of 20 pins:(1) Power input (2 pins): power is supplied from the backplate to thehead unit to nm the system and charge the head unit's local battery,which provides both a buffer for high current peaks (including radiooperation) and also battery-backup for continued operation during powerfailures; (2) Power output (3 pins): power is supplied from the headunit to the backplate to enable high current consumption when required(for example, switching a bistable relay). The VBAT supply is intendedonly for use by a cellular communication device and for MCU monitoring;(3) Signal ground (2 pins): ground reference for signaling; (4) Lowspeed communications (2 pins): a UART interface is used for headunit-backplate communications in all configurations. This interfaceprovides identification/authentication, sensor sampling, and control.Typically, this interface runs at 115,200 bps and is connected to asmall MCU in the backplate; (5) High speed communications (3 pins): aUSB1.1 12 Mbps host interface is also presented by the head unit. Thiscan be used by advanced backplates to enable high performance networkingor HV AC control, at a small power penalty above and beyond what isrequired for the low speed interface. Advanced backplates are nottypically power-limited; (6) Detection (2 pins): one grounded at thebackplate and one grounded at the head unit, allow each end to detectmating or disconnection and behave appropriately; (7) Head and backplatereset signals (active high: NFET gate drive via RC filter to pull resetlines low); (8) LED cathode connections for RGB LED mounted in headunit; and (9) 5× current limit switch to force fast charging in lowbattery situations

Boot Scenarios.

Some common boot scenarios will now be described, according to someembodiments:

Scenario 1: Out of Box Experience (Batten/not Empty):

(1) User has wired backplate up correctly. MCU LDO has booted MCU; (2)User connects head unit (battery PCM in protection mode); (3) Default 20mA limit in charger resets PCM protection mode, VBAT recovers to ˜3.7v;(4) PMUturns on; (5) MCU measures VBAT, releases head unit reset; and(6) Communications established with MCU.

Scenario 2: Out of Box Experience (Battery Empty):

(1) User has wired backplate up correctly. MCU LDO has booted MCU; (2)User connects head unit (battery PCM in protection mode); (3) Default 20mA limit in charger resets PCM protection mode, VBAT is <3Av; (4) PMUsamples battery voltage but it is below the EEPROM-stored VMBCH_SELvalue of 3 Av so does not power on; (5) MCU measures VBAT, sees lowvoltage. MCU forces 100 mA charge and turns on indicator LED; (6) WhenVBAT passes VMBCH_SEL voltage of 3Av, head unit will power up; (7)Communications established with MCU; and (8) Head unit asks MCU to turnoff LED.

Scenario 3: Head Unit Crashed:

(1) Head unit in zombie state, not talking to MCU, battery voltage ok;(2) MCU notes no valid commands within timeout period; (3) MCU turns HVbuck off to cut power, then asserts head unit reset; (4) MCU turns HVbuck on again, releases reset; and (5) Communications established withMCU.

Scenario 4: Backplate Unit Crashed:

(1) Backplate unit in zombie state, not replying to SoC; (2) SoC resetsMCU; and (3) Communications established with MCU.

Scenario 5: Head Unit VI Lockup:

(1) Head unit UI locked up, but lower levels are functioning (MCU commsstill active, so MCU will not reset UI); (2) User notices no screenactivity, presses and holds button for 10 seconds causing SoC reboot;and (3) Communications established with MCU.

Power Consumption.

The system's average power consumption is determined by a few variables:(1) Power in standby mode; (2) Power in active mode; and (3) Power ininteractive mode.

Standby Mode.

This mode is the one in which the system will reside “most of the time”.The definition of “most of the time” can vary, but it should be able toreside in this state for >95% of the product's life. In this mode, theMCU is running but the head unit is in standby mode. HVAC circuits canbe active, and the head unit can be woken into active mode by severalevents: (1) Proximity sensor or rotary event: The interrupt line fromthe prox is directly connected to the SoC and so can cause a wakedirectly. (2) Wi-Fi: The WL IRQ line, connected to the SoC, can wake thehead unit when a packet arrives over Wi-Fi (presumably, the chipsetwould be programmed to only interrupt the SoC on non-broadcast packetswhen it was in standby); (3) ZigBee: Data from the ZigBee chip can wakethe SoC (eg: incoming ZigBee packets); (4) Timer: The system can wakefrom the RTC timer. This is likely to be used for periodic events suchas maintenance of push connections over Wi-Fi and data collection; and(5) Backplate comms: Incoming communications from the backplate willwake the head unit. This could be sensor data or alarm notificationsfrom HV AC monitoring.

The MCU is expected to enter power saving states itself regularly inorder to reduce power drain—even if it is waking at 10 Hz to sample thepressure sensor, for example. Because this part of the system is alwayspowered, improvements in efficiency here can make more difference thanoptimization of rarely used head unit states. The expected ballpark forhead unit power consumption in this mode is: 4 mW for CPU/DDR, 2 mW forPMU, 4 mW for Wi-Fi (estimated based on other known chip sets), 2 mW forother items=11 mW. The expected ballpark for backplate power consumptionin this mode (with no HVAC loads switched) is ˜5 m W, but will changeslightly depending on what frequency sensors are polled.

Active Mode (Display Off).

In active mode, the head unit is powered up, but the display is off.This mode is expected to be in use hundreds of times per day, but forvery short periods of time (hopefully <10 seconds each event). Typicalreasons the system would transition to active mode include: (1) Useractivity: active mode would be transitioned through on the way tointeractive mode; (2) Sensor data collection: the backplate may havebuffered environmental data that needs to be fed to the controlalgorithm and processed in order to determine whether a response isneeded; (3) Push connection: in order to maintain a TCP connectionthrough most NAT routers, data must be transferred periodically. Thehead unit would use active mode to perform this connection maintenance;and (4) Website-initiated action: here, a user requested action on theservers would result in data being sent over the push connection,causing the Wi-Fi module to wake the SoC to process the data and performany necessary actions.

Given the relatively high power nature of this mode, care should betaken to ensure that any action is completed and “tided up” before thesystem is put back into standby mode. For example, if a command if sentto the MCU which generates a response, the response should be gatheredbefore the standby transition is made, otherwise the system may end upbouncing between active and standby mode, wasting power unnecessarily.The same type of problem could also occur with network connections(e.g.: TCP closes). Average power dissipated in this mode could be inthe 200 mW range depending on Wi-Fi activity and processor loading.

Interactive Mode (Display on):

This is the mode in which the user actually interacts with the device.Given that the system is fully active—screen on, backlight on, lowlatency performance desired—the power footprint is the largest of any ofthe operational modes. However, because user interactions are likely tobe brief and infrequent—especially if the device is performing asintended—their impact on average system power is expected to be verylow. It is expected that interactive mode will have a relatively longtimeout (maybe as much as 60 seconds) before the unit transitions intoactive mode and then to standby. It would be worth having the unit stayin active mode for a significant time—maybe 30 seconds or more—on theway down so that if the user starts to interact with the device again,the response is instantaneous. Average power in this mode is likely tobe greater than 300 mW depending on Wi-Fi activity, processor loading,and display backlight brightness.

Example Power Consumption Calculation.

Table 1 shows how the total system power consumption might becalculated.

TABLE 1 Time in Times per Ave. Power Mode Power mode day % per 24 hInteractive 300 mW 60 s 4 0.28% 0.83 mW Active 200 mW 10 s 192 2.22%4.44 mW Standby  11 mW 84,240 s    1 97.50% 10.73 mW  Average   16 mWPower

As can be seen from Table 1, the dominant power is that of standby,though waking the head unit 8 times per hour (192 times per day) is alsonot insignificant. Switching each HVAC zone also takes power, estimatedat ˜1 mA @ 3.3v (i.e., 4.5 mW of power at the HV buck output assumingthe battery is full). We are likely to be switching multiple circuitsconcurrently—at least 1H/1C+fan. This can significantly increase ourpower consumption and hence also needs to be optimized appropriately.

Power Supply.

From surveys, it would appear that we are likely to be able to draw 40mA@5vdc from the HV buck; as this is a switching converter, this 200 mWpower should translate directly to 44 mA@ 4.5vdc in our system.Initially, it was thought that we may only be able to take 100 m W orless from the HV AC circuits, so this is good news. Note that in anysystem that has both heat and cool (but NOT heat pump), the system canpower steal from the non-activated circuit ensuring that we have 200 mWof power available at all times.

Prevention of Deleterious Collocated-Thermostat Control Coupling

As discussed above with reference to FIGS. 10A-D, a building or otherthermostat-controlled environment may include multiple VSCUs that eachcontrols a different region within the building or otherthermostat-controlled environment. As further discussed above, whetherthe multiple VSCUs each controls a different HVAC or whether themultiple VSCUs control heating and cooling of each of the differentregions from a single HVAC, situations may arise in which the control oftwo or more regions by two or more VSCUs may become coupled due tothermal communication between the regions, as a result of whichHVAC-cycling frequency or the frequency at which air flow iselectromechanically redirected from the HVAC within the building orother thermostat-controlled environment may significantly increase, inturn potentially leading to inefficient cooling or heating as well as toincreased HVAC maintenance and replacement costs. In extreme cases,other electromechanical equipment coupled to the HVACs may also bedeleteriously affected.

The present subsection provides a more detailed discussion of controlcoupling between thermostats, discussed above with reference to FIGS.10A-D, and a more detailed discussion of thermostat-control features andimplementations that detect and ameliorate control coupling. As usedherein, two or more thermostats are “collocated” if they are associatedwith a common overall enclosure, such as a home or business building. Inthis subsection, the term “thermostat” is used to refer both to the VSCUdescribed above as well as to other processor-controlled thermostatsthat intercommunicate and/or communicate with a remote server/monitorthat can coordinate operation of multiple collocated thermostats withina multi-region building or other thermostat-controlled multi-regionenvironment. In other words, the control features and methods discussedin the current subsection may be implemented for incorporation withinVSCUs as well as in other types of processor-controlled thermostats andenvironmental controllers.

FIG. 35 illustrates a multi-region building in which thermostats thateach controls a different region may become control coupled. In thisexample multi-region environment, heating and heat-transfer are used toillustrate control coupling. Control coupling also occurs as a result ofair-condition or cooling operations, and other environmental-controloperations. As shown in FIG. 35, the building or other environmentincludes a first region 3502 and a second region 3504. The first regionis a rectangularly shaped volume that shares one side 3506 and a portion3508 of another side 3510 with the second region 3504. The boundaries ofthe two regions may be walls, insulated walls, floors, ceilings,insulated ceilings, partitions, sheeting, and other types of boundaries.Notably, it is not required that the boundary between any two regions bephysical in nature, such as for cases of a very large open room or longhallway having one thermostat/HVAC system at one end and anotherthermostat/HVAC system at another end. The first region 3502 includes afirst thermostat 3512 that controls a first HVAC system 3514 and thesecond region includes a second thermostat 3516 that controls a secondHVAC system 3518. As indicated by arrows 3520 and 3522, the first andsecond HVACs each output heat to the region in which the HVAC islocated. As indicated by arrows 3524 and 3526, the heat within eachregion may transferred into the external environment and, as indicatedby arrows 3528 and 3530, heat from the external environment may betransferred into each of the two regions 3502 and 3504. In addition,because the two regions share a portion of their boundaries, heat maytransfer from the first region to the second region, as indicated byarrow 3532, and heat may transfer from the second region to the firstregion, as indicated by arrow 3534. In general, net passive heattransfer occurs most significantly, at a given point, in a directionopposite to a thermal gradient of the scalar temperature field at thatpoint, from a higher-temperature region to a lower-temperature region.By using input electrical energy, chemical energy, or other forms ofenergy, an HVAC system introduces heat from a higher-temperature volumewithin the HVAC to a lower-temperature region by active thermaltransfer.

While FIG. 35 shows only two regions, each controlled by a singlethermostat, and even though the regions have relatively simpleboundaries, the amount of heat transferred at any particular point intime and position in the various modes of passive heat transfer andactive heat transfer from the thermostat-controlled HVAC systems may bea highly complicated function of many different variables andparameters. FIG. 36 lists representative variables and parametersassociated with thermostat operation within the multi-region buildingshown in FIG. 35. Variables and parameters associated with each region,as shown in FIG. 36, include: (1) the current temperature field withinthe region; (2) the heat-transfer function, itself a complex function ofmultiple variables, that describes the rate of heat transfer from theregion to the external environment and from the external environment tothe region; (3) similar heat-transfer functions that each describes therate of heat transfer from the region into an adjacent region and fromthe adjacent region into the region; (4) the current set point for thethermostat within the region; (5) the current swing for the thermostatwithin the region; (6) a function that describes the thermostat responseto changes in the values of various environmental parameters sensed bythe thermostat; (7) a heat transfer function that describes the rate ofheat transfer from the HVAC system to the region; (8) the volume of theregion; and (9) the areas of the different types of boundaries of theregion. Variables and parameters associated with the externalenvironment 3606 include the current temperature, relative humidity,wind velocity, and energy flux from the external environment to regionboundaries resulting from sunlight impinging on the region boundaries.Many additional variables and parameters may be considered whenattempting to model temperature fluctuations, HVAC operation, andthermostat operation within the simple two-region volume shown in FIG.35.

As known in the art, although its precise arithmetic definition can varysomewhat among different references and/or manufacturers, the term“swing” or “temperature swing” refers generally to a target temperatureband around the temperature set point that is actually maintained by thethermostat in view of the binary ON/OFF or otherwise limited nature ofthe control provided by the thermostat. In a simplest definition of theterm, for the particular example of heating mode, a swing of “X” degreesaround a temperature set point “T” means that the furnace will be cycledon when the measured temperature drops below T−X degrees, and will becycled off when the measured temperature rises above T+X degrees.Typical temperature swing values can be in the range of 0.5 degrees F.to 3 degrees F. Swing can alternatively be unbalanced or two-sidedaround the set point temperature, wherein there can be a negative swingof two degrees below the temperature set point to cycle the furnace on,for example, and a positive swing of one degree above the temperatureset point to cycle the furnace off. For one or more scenarios describedherein in which “swing” is made dynamically variable according to one ormore embodiments, it is assumed for purposes of simplicity and claritythat there is a fixed 0.5 degree F. positive swing above a heating setpoint temperature to cycle the furnace off, while there is a variablenegative swing below the temperature set point (simply termed “swing”)to cycle the furnace on. One skilled in the art will readily appreciate,however, that the described embodiments are broadly applicable to bothsingle-parameter and multi-parameter expressions of the term “swing.”

A precise mathematical characterization of the variation of temperaturewith time, thermostat operation, and the HVAC operational cycles wouldbe difficult or impossible for even a very simple two-region volume,such as that shown in FIG. 35, let alone for an actual multi-regionbuilding or other thermostat-controlled multi-region environment. Therates of thermal exchange, for example, are often described by partialdifferential equations with boundary conditions. For real-worldthermostat-controlled buildings and other environments, characterizingthe initial conditions and boundary conditions of a multi-region volumeis difficult, and no closed-form solutions of the partial differentialequations can be obtained. However, it is possible, using very simplecomputational models, to observe the effects of control coupling betweenthermostats that each separately controls a region of a multi-regionbuilding or other thermostat-controlled environment. As one very simpleexample, by searching through various thermostat settings, using asimple simulation implemented as a C++ program, described below, thatmodels HVAC operation and thermostat control for multiple regions, eachcontrolled by a single thermostat, settings that produce resonance-likeHVAC-cycle-frequency surges due to control coupling between two or morethermostats are easily found.

The simple modeling program includes a number of constant declarations,including scalar values for the external heat-transfer rate betweenregions and the external environment, the internal heat-transfer ratebetween regions, a factor “hUnitsPerT” that represents the number ofheat units per unit of temperature per volume, a factor “hUnits” thatrepresents the number of heat units per unit time introduced into aregion by an HVAC system, and a factor “TPerHunit” that represents therise in temperature per introduced heat unit per volume:

const int NumDataPoints = 1005; const int MaxRegions = 5; const doubleexternalTransferRate = 0.002; const double internalTransferRate = 0.1;const double hUnitsPerT = 10; const int hUnits = 5; const doubleTPerHunit = .1;The numeric values are not meant to represent actual values inmeaningful units. The start and end times and duration for each HVACcycle are stored in a structure “Cycle,” declared as follows:

typedef struct { int start; int end; int duration; } Cycle;Each region within a building or other thermostat-controlled environmentis described by an instance of the class “region,” declared below:

class region { private: double currentTmp; double currentExTmp; Cyclerecord[NumDataPoints]; int currentCycle; bool heating; int setTmp; intswing; int startTime; double vol; public: void update(doublecurrentZnTmp, double feedback, int currentTime); double getTmp( ){return currentTmp;}; int getCycle( ) {return currentCycle;}; intgetDuration(int i) {return record[i].duration;}; int getStart(int i){return record[i].start;}; int getEnd(int i) {return record[i].end;};region (double ext, double initialTmp, int initialSetTmp, intinitialSwing, int startT, int volume); }; typedef region* regionPtr;Private data members of the class “region” represent various parametersand settings, including the current internal temperature of the region,the current external temperature, an integer indicating the sequencenumber of the current HVAC cycle, a Boolean variable indicating whetheror not HVAC is current powered on, the set point temperature, the swing,and the volume of the region. The member functions of the region includefunctions that retrieve the values of certain of the private datamembers as well as the member-function “update” that is repeatedlycalled, at each increment of simulation time, to update regionparameters. When the HVAC within a region is powered off, to complete anHVAC cycle, data for the cycle is stored by the region in the privatedata member “record.”

Each experiment or simulation is represented by an instance of the class“experiment,” declared below:

class experiment { private: regionPtr regions[MaxRegions]; int numZ; inttime; double fBack; public: void run( ); void getRegionInput (intregion, double & tmp, int & set, int & swing, int & start, int &volume); void analyze( ); experiment(int numRegions, double extT, doublefeedbackLvl); ~experiment( ); };

As can be seen in the main routine, provided below, for each simulation,an instance of the class “experiment” is allocated and the experimentmember function “run” is called to simulate thermostat operation over aspecified period of time, with the arguments for the constructor of theclass “experiment” indicating the number of regions, the externaltemperature, and the degree of feedback between thermostats:

int main( ) { while (true) { int num = 0; double externalT = 0.0; intlength = 0; double feedBack = 0.0; float f = 0.0; experiment* e;getInput(num, externalT, feedBack); if (num < 1) break; if (feedBack < 0|| feedBack > 1.0) feedBack = 0.0; e = new experiment(num, externalT,feedBack); e−>run( ); delete e; } return 0; }The member function “run” of the class “experiment” includes a nestedloop, the outer loop of which increments time over a total simulationtime and the inner loop of which calls the “update” member function ofeach region for each simulation time:

void experiment::run( ) { int i, j; double feedback[MaxRegions]; doublefeedbackT; while (true) { time++; for (i = 0; i < numZ; i++) feedback[i]= regions[i]−>getTmp( ); for (i = 0; i < numZ; i++) { feedbackT = 0.0;for (j = 0; j < numZ; j++) if (i != j) feedbackT += feedback[j];feedbackT /= (numZ − 1); if (regions[i]−>getCycle( ) >= (NumDataPoints −1)) goto exit; else regions[i]−>update(feedbackT, fBack, time); } }exit: analyze( ); }

The member function “update” for the class “region” computes a newtemperature for the region based on external and internal heat transferand heat input from the HVAC system and, when the temperature fallsbelow the set point minus the swing, activates the HVAC and, when thetemperature exceeds the set point, deactivates the HVAC. The parameter“feedback” passed to the member function “update” describes the level offeedback between regions by a numeric value between 0.0 and 1.0. Thefunction member “update” is provided below:

void region::update(double currentZnTmp, double feedback, intcurrentTime) { double heatIn = 0; double zDiff, diff; zDiff =currentZnTmp − currentTmp; diff = currentExTmp − currentTmp; heatIn =(zDiff * internalTransferRate * feedback) + (diff *externalTransferRate); heatIn *= hUnitsPerT; heatIn = heatIn * (pow(vol,0.6666)/vol); if (heating) heatIn += hUnits; currentTmp = currentTmp +(TPerHunit * heatIn)/vol; if ((currentTime >= startTime) && (!heating)&& (currentTmp < (setTmp − swing))) { heating = true; currentCycle++;record[currentCycle].start = currentTime; } else if ((heating) &&(currentTmp >= (setTmp + 0.5))) {  heating = false; record[currentCycle].end = currentTime;  record[currentCycle].duration= currentTime −  record[currentCycle].start; } }

A few additional routines, with stubs for parameter-input routines andsimulation-data-analysis routines, are provided next for completeness:

void experiment::analyze( ) { } void experiment::getRegionInput (intregion, double & tmp, int & set, int & swing, int & start, int & volume){ } experiment::experiment(int numRegions, double extT, doublefeedbackLvl) { int i; double tmp; int set; int swing; int start; floatf; int volume; numZ = numRegions; for (i = 0; i < numZ; i++) {getRegionInput (i, tmp, set, swing, start, volume); regions[i] = newregion(extT, tmp, set, swing, start, volume); } time = 0; fBack =feedbackLvl; } experiment::~experiment( ) { int i; for (i = 0; i < numZ;i++) delete regions[i]; } region::region (double ext, double initialTmp,int initialSetTmp, int initialSwing, int startT, int volume) {currentTmp = initialTmp; currentExTmp = ext; currentCycle = −1; heating= false; setTmp = initialSetTmp; swing = initialSwing; startTime =startT; vol = volume; } void getInput(int & num, double & externalT,double & feedBack) { }

Although the above-describe simulation program is a simplified model fortemperature and temperature control within regions of a building orother thermostat-controlled environment, by varying differentparameters, in particular the degree of feedback between regions,interesting coupling effects between thermostat control of the multipleregions can be observed.

FIGS. 37-38C illustrate a commonly observed operation pattern for twocontrol-coupled thermostats. This pattern is easily simulated even bythe simplistic computational model described above. In FIG. 37, threepairs of HVAC-state vs. time plots illustrate the frequency and durationof HVAC cycles that result from different simulated degrees of feedback,or thermal exchange, between the two regions. A first pair of plots 3702illustrates the pattern of HVAC cycles within the two regions when thereis no thermal exchange, or feedback, between the two regions. In FIG.37, each plot, such as plot 3704 of the first pair of plots 3702, is arepresentation of HVAC state versus time. There are only two HVAC statesplotted with respect to the vertical axis: (1) on 3706 and (2) off 3708.An HVAC cycle, such as HVAC cycle 3710, begins at a first point in time3712 when the HVAC transitions from the off state to the on state andcontinues to a second point in time 3714 when the HVAC state transitionsfrom the on state to the off state. The two different regions havedifferent volumes and therefore settle into different HVAC-cyclingfrequencies with HVAC cycles of different lengths. The plots shown inFIG. 37 illustrate a portion of the simulation after the thermostatshave reached steady-state operation. The smaller region, region 1,exhibits relatively shorter HVAC cycles, such as HVAC cycle 3710, thanthe HVAC cycles exhibited by the larger region, region 2, such as HVACcycle 3716. However, the HVAC cycles for the first region occur morefrequently than those for the second region. For example, three fullcycles are observed in the plot for region 1 while only two and afraction cycles are observed in the plot for region 2, both plotsrepresenting an identical simulated time period. In general, a shorterHVAC cycle in the smaller region is adequate to raise the internaltemperature of the region back to the set point, but the smaller regionloses heat to the external environment and possibly to region 2 morequickly, since the surface-to-volume ratio for a smaller region isgreater than the surface-to-volume ratio for a larger region.

When a relatively small level of thermal communication is introducedbetween the two regions, as illustrated by the second pair of plots3718, the length of the HVAC cycles for the first region shortenslightly, but the HVAC-cycling frequency increases. By contrast, thelengths of the HVAC cycles for the second region slightly increase, butthe HVAC-cycling frequency decreases. When the level of thermalcommunication between the two regions is significantly increased, asillustrated by the third pair of plots 3720, the lengths of the HVACcycles for the first region decrease further while the HVAC-cyclingfrequency increases substantially while, at the same time, the lengthsof the HVAC cycles in the second region further increase, but theHVAC-cycling frequency in the second region decreases further. Ofcourse, cycle lengths and cycle frequencies depend greatly on therelative temperature differential between the two regions, the relativevolumes between the two regions, the set points and swings for the tworegions, and other parameter values. Variations in these parameters canchange the patterns significantly. In the case illustrated in FIG. 37,the set point for region 1 is higher than the set point for region 2.However, the swing for region 1 is smaller than the swing for region 2.As a result of parametrically increasing the level thermal communicationbetween the two regions, the HVAC system in region 1 ends up heatingboth region 1 and region 2 after the level of thermal communicationincreases past a threshold value, while the HVAC in region 2 is nolonger active.

FIGS. 38A-C illustrate plots of the HVAC-cycling frequencies versus thelevel of thermal communication between regions for a two-regionexperiment using the above-described simulation model. In FIG. 38A, theHVAC-cycling frequency with respect to the level of thermalcommunications between the two regions is plotted in plot 3802 for thefirst, smaller region. As the level of thermal communication between thetwo regions increases, the HVAC-cycling frequency for region 1 increasesnon-linearly from an initial cycle frequency 3804 to a higher, plateaufrequency 3806. FIG. 38B shows a plot of HVAC-cycling frequency versuslevel of thermal communications between the two regions for region 2.The HVAC-cycling frequency for region 2 slowly decreases from an initialHVAC-cycling frequency 3808 and then steeply declines to a HVAC-cyclingfrequency of zero 3810. The total HVAC-cycling frequency for bothregions, representing the sum of the plotted curves of FIGS. 38A and38B, is provided in FIG. 38C. As can be seen in FIG. 38C, the totalHVAC-cycling frequency increases non-linearly to a maximum value 3812for an intermediate level of thermal communications between the tworegions 3814 and then decreases with increasing levels of thermalcommunication.

The shapes of the plots in FIGS. 38A-C are highly dependent on thevalues of the various parameters for the two regions used in thesimulation as well as the specified temperature for the externalenvironment. For many parameter settings, the peak in HVAC-cyclingfrequency with respect to the level of thermal communications seen inFIG. 38C is less prominent than in FIG. 38C, while for other parametersettings, the peak is significantly steeper and narrower than in FIG.38C. By varying the values of the various parameters, including thelevel of thermal communication, systematically, it is possible to findparticular parameter settings for which the total HVAC-cycling frequencyfor both regions far exceeds the HVAC-cycling frequency observed whenone or more of the parameter values is only slightly changed. In certaincases, the HVAC-cycling frequencies increase and the HVAC cycle lengthsdecrease across all HVACS in a multi-region building. Periodic energytransfer in phase with a periodic energy-consuming system can lead torelatively large amplitude increases in the periodic energy-consumingsystem, while random or out-of-phase energy transfers produce muchsmaller or no amplitude increases.

The total HVAC-cycling frequency within a multi-region building or otherthermostat-controlled multi-region environment may be closely related tothe overall cooling or heating efficiency as well as to HVAC-maintenancecosts and life cycles. FIGS. 39A-40B illustrate reasons underlying theoften-observed dependence of HVAC heating and/or cooling efficiency onHVAC-cycling frequency. FIG. 39A shows a hypothetical plot of the energyinput to an HVAC during a short HVAC cycle. Double-headed arrow 3902indicates the time period, plotted with respect to the horizontal timeaxis 3904, of the short HVAC cycle. As indicated in FIG. 39A, a largeamount of energy is initially input into the HVAC during the firstportion of the HVAC cycle, in order to heat HVAC components to desiredlevels and to overcome relatively large initial inertias associated withHVAC components. The energy input then decreases as the HVAC reaches anefficient, steady-state operational level. For example, for many typesof heating systems, a large amount of electrical energy and/or a largevolume of hydrocarbon gas is initially consumed by the heating system inorder to raise the internal temperature of heating-system elements to adesired temperature, following which the energy consumed by the HVACdecreases to a lower level needed to maintain the internal temperatureof the HVAC and electromechanical operation of HVAC components as heatis output into the region in which the HVAC is located. As shown in FIG.39B, the heat output by the HVAC during an HVAC cycle increasesnon-linearly to a plateau level, at time 3906, remains steady for theremainder of the cycle, and then begins to non-linearly decrease, attime 3908, at the end of the HVAC cycle. The HVAC efficiency, plotted inFIG. 39C with respect to time, is initially quite low but steeply andnon-linearly increases to a plateau efficiency 3910 as the energyconsumption of the HVAC decreases and the heat output by the HVACincreases to steady-state levels. The shapes of the curves in FIG. 39are hypothetical and meant only to illustrate the general trends inenergy consumption, heat output, and efficiency of the HVAC systemduring an HVAC cycle.

FIGS. 40A-B illustrate a dependence of HVAC efficiency on HVAC-cyclingfrequency. FIG. 40A shows a first plot of HVAC state vs. time, using thesame illustration conventions as used in FIG. 37. The HVAC cycles arerelatively long and the HVAC-cycling frequency is relatively low. Thecrosshatched portions of each cycle 4002 and 4004 represent the initial,inefficient operation of the HVAC at the beginning of each cycle. FIG.40B shows a second plot of HVAC state vs. time in which a second HVACoperational mode is illustrated. In the second HVAC operational modeillustrated in FIG. 40B, the HVAC cycles are relatively shorter than theHVAC cycles in the first operational mode, shown in FIG. 40A, and theHVAC-cycling frequency is relatively greater than for the firstoperational mode shown in FIG. 40A. The total time of efficientoperation of the HVAC is identical in both modes. However, because theinitial inefficient HVAC operation portion of each cycle has the samelength, independent of the overall length of the cycle, the total timeof inefficient operation in the second HVAC-operational mode, shown inFIG. 40B, is almost double that of the first HVAC-operational mode shownin FIG. 40A. Thus, as the HVAC cycles shorten in duration and theHVAC-cycling frequency increases, an increasingly greater proportion ofthe time of HVAC operation corresponds to inefficient HVAC operation, atthe beginning of HVAC cycles. Of course, after some point, the length ofthe period of inefficient operation at the beginning of each HVAC cycledecreases with increasing HVAC-cycling frequency. However, in general,the higher the HVAC-cycling frequency, the less efficient the HVACoperates in order to heat or cool the region in which the HVAC islocated. Furthermore, as the HVAC-cycling frequency increases, there ismuch greater wear and tear, per unit time, on the HVAC and variousadditional electromechanical systems coupled to the HVAC. As oneexample, thermal expansion and thermal contraction occur at thebeginning and end of each HVAC cycle, creating stress on HVAC parts andstructures. The failure rates of mechanical parts are stronglycorrelated with the number of expansion and contraction cycles andtherefore with the HVAC-cycling frequency.

As a result of the above-discussed considerations, multiple thermostatswithin a building or other thermostat-controlled environment thatcontrol separate regions in thermal communication need to beintelligently controlled to avoid those parameter settings at which, forparticular internal and external environmental conditions, the totalHVAC-cycling frequency within the building or otherthermostat-controlled environment is significantly greater than forslightly different parameter settings. In other words, significantincrease in overall HVAC-operational efficiencies and significantdecreases in HVAC maintenance and replacement costs can be achieved bycooperatively controlling the multiple thermostats to avoid parametersettings that lead to sharp, resonance-induced-like increases in theoverall HVAC-cycling frequency. Slight parameter adjustment inoperational modes subject to resonance-like HVAC-cycling frequencysurges generally does not significantly affect the dynamic temperaturefield within a building or other thermostat-controlled environment,since only slight adjustments are often needed to disrupt deleteriouscontrol coupling between thermostats. It is for this reason thatincorporating control-coupled-thermostat-decoupling subcomponents intointelligent thermostat control programs is particularly attractive andcost-effective, since significant inefficiencies and detrimentaloperational modes can be avoided without significantly altering desiredoperational modes.

One method, to which the current application is directed, increasesHVAC-operation efficiency and decreases HVAC maintenance and replacementcosts by detecting surges in total HVAC-cycling frequency and adjustingone or more operational parameters of one or more collocated thermostatsin order to disrupt control coupling between collocated thermostats andlower the total HVAC-cycling frequency. This and additional methods towhich the current application is directed involves a monitor entitywhich monitors operation of multiple collocated thermostats andreporting and parameter-adjustment functionality within each of thecollocated thermostats that inform the monitor of thermostat activitiesand adjust thermostat parameters according to parameter-adjustmentmessages communicated by the monitor to the thermostats. Whenimplemented as part of the control program of a thermostat, this methodbecomes a portion of the controlling functionality of an intelligentthermostat. The control-coupled-thermostat-decoupling methods to whichthe current application is directed are generally implemented asprocessor instructions, stored within an electronic memory within thethermostat, that are retrieved and executed by one or more processorswithin the thermostat. The control-coupled-thermostat-decoupling methodsmay alternatively be implemented by logic circuits and firmware orimplemented by a combination of stored processor instructions, logiccircuits, and firmware.

The above-described VSCUs are convenient platforms for incorporatingcontrol-coupled-thermostat-decoupling subcomponents into the thermostatcontrol programs. VSCUs are generally connected by wireless or wiredcommunications media to the Internet, and, through the Internet, tocloud servers on which the monitor entity can be implemented. However,it is also possible for the monitor entity to reside in the samebuilding as the intelligent thermostats monitored and controlled by themonitor. Indeed, the monitor entity may be implemented and incorporatedwithin one thermostat that intercommunicates with other collocatedthermostats and may be distributed among two or more thermostats, incertain implementations.

It should also be noted that avoiding parameter settings that producesignificantly increased total HVAC-cycling frequencies within a buildingor other thermostat-controlled environment may be only one goal orconstraint of a multi-goal and multi-constraint HVAC-operationoptimization carried out by the monitor entity. The various constraintsand goals may depend on the nature of the regions, building, or otherthermostat-controlled environment, on the characteristics of the HVACs,and on other characteristics and considerations. As one example, becauseof differences in operational costs and characteristics, it may actuallybe cost effective and desirable to, at times, heat two or more adjacentregions with a single HVAC rather than concurrently operating multipleHVACs within the regions. In other situations, it may be advantageousand desirable to slightly increase the total HVAC-cycling frequency inorder to evenly distribute HVAC cycles among multiple HVACs. Thus, whilethe method and systems to which the current application is directedgenerally attempt to detect resonance-like dependence of the totalHVAC-cycling frequency on thermostat parameters, the parameteradjustments carried out by the method and systems may vary depending onthe constraints and goals of the HVAC optimization carried out by themonitor entity.

FIGS. 41A-49 illustrate an implementation for onecontrol-coupled-thermostat-decoupling-method implementation incorporatedwithin VSCUs intercommunicating with a remote monitor that interfaceswith the VSCUs via one or more cloud servers. This illustrated method isbut one example of control-coupled-thermostat decoupling to which thecurrent application is directed.

FIGS. 41A-B illustrate a general computational model for a number ofintelligent thermostats and a monitor entity that together implement acontrol-coupled-thermostat decoupling method. Both the thermostatcontrol and the monitor may be viewed as carrying out a continuouscontrol loop. FIG. 41A provides a control-flow diagram of a control loopunderlying operation of an intelligent thermostat or monitor entity. Instep 4102, the control loop waits for a next event to occur. There aremany different types of events, including user input events, sensorevents, expiration of timers, received-message events, and many othertypes of events handled by processor-controlled systems. When an eventoccurs, the control loop awakens and a next event is de-queued from aqueue of events, in step 4104. In step 4106, an appropriate eventhandler is called to handle the event. When the event is a reportableevent, such as a control event within the thermostat, as determined instep 4108, an appropriate message reporting the event is queued fortransmission to a message-receiving entity, such as an event monitor, instep 4110. If there are additional events in the event queue, asdetermined in step 4112, then control returns to step 4104. Otherwise,control returns to step 4102, in which the control loop quiesces untilanother event is available for handling.

The basic control loop illustrated in FIG. 41A assumes a low-level eventhandler that detects and queues events for handling asynchronously withrespect to the control loop. FIG. 41B illustrates the low-level eventhandler. The low-level event handler is invoked by various devices andprocesses that generate events, including sensors, input devices,hardware timers, software timers, and other such event-producingentities. The low-level event handler first disables event handling, instep 4114. Then, the low-level event handler determines, in step 4116,whether the event that has occurred can be handled in real time or, bycontrast, needs to be handled on a deferred basis by the control loop.For those events that can be handled in real time, the low-level eventhandler invokes an appropriate real-time event handler in step 4118. Asone example, an event that can be handled by setting a flag in aregister or memory location may be better handled in real time thanqueued for deferred handling by the control loop. For those events thatcannot be handled in real time, which generally involve significantcomputation of time delays, the low-level event handler queues the eventto an event queue in step 4120. Then, in step 4122, the low-level eventhandler re-enables event handling. If another event is detectedimmediately following event-handling re-enabling, as determined in step4124, control flows back to step 4116. Otherwise, the low-level eventhandler terminates.

FIG. 42 illustrates certain variables and data involved in thecontrol-coupled-thermostat-decoupling-method implementation illustratedin FIGS. 41A-49 The variables associated with thermostat 1 4202 and withthermostat 2 4204 are identical. These variables include, for eachthermostat: (1) a Boolean variable “heating,” which indicates, whentrue, that the thermostat is currently controlling the HVAC in a heatingmode; (2) a Boolean variable “cooling,” which indicates that thethermostat is currently controlling the HVAC in a cooling mode; (3) avariable “delay,” which indicates the number of time units to delayinitiation of a next HVAC cycle; (4) an integer variable “swing,” whichindicates the temperature swing with which the thermostat is currentlyoperating; (5) a Boolean variable “confirm,” which indicates that thethermostat needs to request permission from the monitor to initiate anext HVAC cycle; (6) a Boolean variable “delayed,” which, when true,indicates that the thermostat is currently awaiting timer expiration toinitiate a next HVAC cycle; (7) a Boolean variable “confirmation,”which, when true, indicates that the thermostat is waiting forpermission from the monitor to initiate a next HVAC cycle; and (8) aBoolean variable “on” which indicates, when true, that the HVACcontrolled by the thermostat is currently powered on. Note that thevariables “heating” and “cooling” indicate general operational modes,while the variable “on” indicates whether or not the HVAC controlled bythe thermostat is currently powered on, during an HVAC cycle, orcurrently powered off, in an interval between HVAC cycles. The monitormaintains logs for each thermostat 4206 and 4208 as well as variousparameter settings for each thermostat 4210 and 4212. The thermostatsand the monitor may, in addition, be associated with additionalvariables and data.

FIG. 43 provides a control-flow diagram for a monitor cycle-reporthandler invoked when the monitor receives a cycle-report message from athermostat, queued for transmission in step 4110 of FIG. 41A, to reportan HVAC-power-on event or an HVAC-power-off event. In step 4302, themonitor receives the cycle-report message from a thermostat and, in step4304, determines the identity and location of the reporting thermostat.In step 4306, the monitor logs the report in the appropriate thermostatlog. In step 4308, the monitor determines whether a next cycle-analysisshould be carried out for the thermostat. This determination may be madebased on the passage of time since the most recent cycle analysis, thenumber of cycles that have transpired since the most recent cycleanalysis, or may be based on some other criterion or criteria. Whencycle analysis is not warranted, as determined in step 4308, then themonitor finishes handling the cycle report, in step 4310, and returns.Otherwise, the monitor cycle-report handler, in step 4312, analyzes thelog for the reporting thermostat to determine the recent HVAC-cyclingfrequency and other characteristics of HVAC operation associated withthe thermostat. When this analysis indicates that the HVAC-cyclingfrequency is significantly increasing, as determined in step 4314, orthat the HVAC-cycling frequency is significantly greater than anexpected HVAC-cycling frequency for the thermostat and associatedregion, based on historical data and current conditions, as determinedin step 4316, then, in the case that the thermostat is collocated in abuilding or other thermostat-controlled environment with at least oneother thermostat, as determined in step 4318, the monitor cycle-reporthandler invokes a routine to adjust the collocated thermostats in step4320. Otherwise, a complementary relaxed-settings routine is invoked instep 4322. Following operation of the parameter-adjustment routine orthe relaxed-settings routine, the monitor-cycle report handler finishescycle-report handling, in step 4310, and terminates. Thethermostat-adjustment routine, invoked in step 4320, adjusts thesettings of one or more collocated thermostats in order to decouple apotentially control coupling among the collocated thermostats. Therelaxed-settings routine, invoked in step 4322, periodically relaxes anyparameter-setting adjustments carried out in step 4320 in the handlingof previous cycle reports so that, over time, the thermostat settingsare dynamically optimized to avoid resonant-like total HVAC-cycle surgesdiscussed above. Continuous adjustment and relaxation of adjustmentsallows the system of multiple thermostats to continuously respond tochanging conditions without experiencing pronounced HVAC-cycle surgesdue to thermostat-control coupling.

FIG. 44 provides a control-flow diagram for thethermostat-setting-adjustment routine called in step 4320 of FIG. 43.This routine is called when the monitor determines that a thermostat maybe deleteriously control-coupled with other thermostats in amulti-region building or other thermostat-controlled environment. Instep 4402, the monitor identifies all thermostats collocated with thecycle-reporting thermostat and accesses the current settings and logfiles for the collocated thermostats. The monitor maintains position andidentification information for all thermostats with which the monitor iscommunicating and can therefore readily identify collocated thermostats.In step 4404, the monitor determines whether the monitor has recentlyadjusted parameters for one or more of the collocated thermostats inorder to decouple control-coupling of the thermostats. When parametersettings have been adjusted sufficiently recently and it would not makesense to adjust them again until the monitor can observe results fromthe previous adjustment, then the parameter-adjustment routine returnswithout further action. In step 4404, the monitor also reruns when themonitor is currently controlling HVAC-cycle initiation, since thatcontrol is exercised by responding to messages sent from thermostatsseeking permission to initiate HVAC cycles. Otherwise, in step 4406, themonitor determines which of the collocated thermostats has the currenthighest-cycle frequency. When the delay setting for that thermostat canbe incremented without exceeding a threshold value, as determined instep 4408, then the delay setting for the thermostat with the highestcycle frequency is incremented in step 4410. Otherwise, when the swingfor the thermostat is currently less than some maximum allowable swing,as determined in step 4412, then the delay variable is set to zero andthe swing is incremented, in step 4414. Otherwise, in step 4416, thedelay setting is set to zero and the swing is set to a default swing andthe parameter “confirm” is set to true in order to direct all of thecollocated thermostats to request permission from the monitor toinitiate a next HVAC cycle.

In the presently described implementation, the delay variable representsa fine-grain adjustment of the parameters of an individual thermostat.Adjusting the swing of an individual thermostat provides a coarserparameter adjustment. When control-coupling cannot be decoupled byadjusting the delay and swing parameters for individual thermostats,then, as a last resort, the monitor assumes control, temporarily, forthe initiation of all HVAC cycles by all of the collocated thermometers.Although not shown in FIGS. 41A-49, there are fallback control routinesthat are invoked when communications between the collocated thermostatsand monitor are interrupted or disrupted during times when the monitorassumes control of the initiation of HVAC cycles for the collocatedthermostats. At worse, the collocated thermostats may resume normaloperation during communications disruptions in order to continue toproperly control temperature, although perhaps efficiently, due tocontrol coupling. Finally, in step 4418, the monitor sends asetting-update message either to a single thermostat, the delay or swingfor which is adjusted, or to all collocated thermostats in the case thatthe monitor has decided to assume HVAC-cycle-initiation control. Notethat monitor control of the initiation of HVAC cycles is relinquished bythe monitor, after a period of time, by the relaxed-settings routinecalled in step 4322 of FIG. 43.

FIG. 45 provides a control-flow routine for a thermostat event handlerthat handles reception of a settings-update message, received by thethermostat from the monitor, sent by the monitor in step 4418 of thethermostat-setting-adjustment routine shown in FIG. 44. In step 4502,the event-handler routine receives the setting update message, generallyfrom an input queue, and, in step 4504, sets the current thermostatsettings “delay,” “swing,” and “confirm” to the values specified by themonitor in the setting-update message.

FIG. 46 shows a temperature-excursion event handler that handles adetected excursion of the internal temperature of a region, sensed by athermostat, to a temperature outside of the range of temperatures fromthe set point minus the swing to the set point. Thetemperature-excursion event therefore indicates to the thermostat that,in general, the thermostat may need to initiate an HVAC cycle in orderto return the internal temperature to within the acceptable temperaturerange. In step 4602, the temperature-excursion handler determineswhether the thermostat is currently in a heating mode, as indicated bythe variable “heating.” When so, then, in step 4604, thetemperature-excursion handler determines whether the current internaltemperature of the region has risen above the set point. When theinternal temperature is above the set point, a cycle-off procedure iscalled, in step 4606, to power off the HVAC and complete the currentHVAC cycle. When the temperature has instead fallen below the set pointminus the swing, as determined in step 4604, a cycle-on procedure iscalled, in step 4608, to power on the HVAC and initiate a new HVACcycle. Similarly, when the thermostat is currently in a cooling mode, asdetermined in step 4610, then either the cycle-off or cycle-on routineis called depending on a determination of whether the temperature iscurrently above the set point, in step 4612. Otherwise, when thetemperature is below the set point minus the swing, as determined instep 4614, but the thermostat is neither in a heating nor a coolingmode, then a consider-heating routine is called, in step 4616, in whichthe thermostat considers recent control history, parameter settings, andother factors to determine whether or not to enter a heating mode.Otherwise, a consider-cooling routine is called, in step 4618, in whichthe thermostat determines whether or not to initiate operation in acooling mode. The consider-heating and consider-cooling routines areassociated with an optional “automated changeover” mode in which thethermostat automatically decides whether to be in a heating or coolingmode. The automated changeover mode may involve relatively complexdecisions. For example, when, on a very cold day, the sun begins toshine through the windows of a house, the temperature may rise above theset point, temporarily, then proceed to decrease below the set pointonce the HVAC is powered down. It would be quite inefficient for theintelligent thermostat to initiate an HVAC cooling mode operation as aresult of a brief temperature spike that can be easily ameliorated byshortening a current HVAC heating cycle, and thus the automatedchangeover mode should be judiciously implemented in a manner thatavoids such pitfalls.

FIG. 47 provides a control-flow diagram for the cycle-on routine calledin step 4608 of the temperature-excursion event handler shown in FIG.46. In the described implementation, adjustment of thermostat parametersettings to decouple control-coupled thermostats attempts to adjustparameter settings away from collective parameter settings that produceresonance-like spikes in the total HVAC-cycling frequencies within amulti-region building or other thermostat-controlled environment. Whenthe HVAC is currently powered on, when the thermostat is waiting forpermission from the monitor to initiate an HVAC cycle, or when thethermostat is waiting for expiration of a timer in order to initiate anext HVAC cycle, as determined in steps 4702-4704, the cycle-on routinereturns. Otherwise, when the monitor is currently controlling HVAC-cycleinitiation, as indicated by the variable “confirm,” in step 4706, thethermostat sets the variable “confirmation” to true, in step 4708 andrequests cycle-on confirmation or cycle-initiation permission from themonitor, in step 4710. Otherwise, when the variable “delay” is greaterthan zero, as determined in step 4712, then the thermostat sets thevariable “delay” to true, in step 4714, and sets a delay timer to expireonce a time equal to the delay time has passed, after expiration ofwhich the next HVAC cycle can be initiated, in step 4716. Otherwise, instep 4718, the intelligent thermostat sets the variable “on” to true andinitiates a next HVAC cycle in steps 4720-4722.

FIG. 48 provides a control-flow diagram for a thermostat event handlerthat handles reception of a cycle-on confirmation message from amonitor. In step 4802, the intelligent thermostat determines whether ornot the variable “confirmation” is true. When the variable is not true,an error has occurred, which is handled by calling an error-handlingroutine in step 4804. Otherwise, the variable “confirmation” is set tofalse, in step 4806 and a next HVAC cycle is initiated in steps4808-4811. FIG. 49 provides a control-flow diagram for anintelligent-thermostat event-handling routine that handles expiration ofa delay timer set in step 4716 in FIG. 47. This routine is similar tothe error-handling routine that handles reception of a cycle-onconfirmation message, shown in FIG. 48, and is not therefore furtherdescribed.

When the monitor has assumed control of the initiation of HVAC cycles,the monitor receives requests for confirmation messages from theintelligent thermostats and returns confirmation messages at appropriatetimes to initiate HVAC cycles. As one example, the monitor may queue theincoming confirmation-message requests and transmit confirmationmessages so that only one HVAC within a multi-region building or otherthermostat-controlled environment is powered on at any particular pointin time. Alternatively, the monitor may carry out more complexHVAC-cycle-initiation control in which HVAC cycles are allowed tooverlap with respect to initiation times. Alternatively, even morecomplex types of control may be exercised by the monitor.

There are many additional implementations for thermostat-controlleddecoupling. One relatively simple embodiment that has been found to beeffective for many scenarios includes the detection ofthermostat-controlled coupling and an immediate assumption ofHVAC-cycle-initiation control by the monitor to ensure that only asingle region has its heating or cooling cycle turned “on” at any givenpoint in time. For this relatively simple embodiment, the swing cansimply be held constant, and primary function of the monitor program isto ensure that the on-cycles for any two regions are out of phase witheach other. In other implementations, not only the cycle-initiationtimes, but also the cycle-off times may be adjusted. In yet otherimplementations, any of various other different parameters orcombinations of parameters within one or more intelligent thermostatsmay be adjusted in order to return the overall system to a relativelylower-total-HVAC-cycling frequency once a resonance-induced-like surgein HVAC-cycling frequency is detected. In still additionalimplementations, the monitor may carefully monitor and adjust thermostatsettings and parameters in order to achieve a more complex set ofconstraints and optimization goals. The monitor may additional attemptto balance overall thermal output among multiple HVACs, may attempt tobalance the total time of operation of the multiple HVACs, or mayattempt to control collocated thermostats to achieve other such goals.

Although the present invention has been described in terms of particularembodiments, it is not intended that the invention be limited to theseembodiments. Modifications within the spirit of the invention will beapparent to those skilled in the art. For example,control-coupled-thermostat decoupling methods can be implemented in manydifferent ways by varying any of many different design andimplementation parameters, including control structures, datastructures, modular organization, programming language, operatingsystem, and other such parameters. Control-coupled-thermostat decouplingmethods may range from simple monitor control to prevent simultaneousoperation of multiple HVACs within a building or other multi-regionenvironment to elaborate thermostat-setting-adjustment-basedoptimization methods that seek to minimize the total HVAC-cyclingfrequency as well as meet various different constraints, such asconstraints regarding balanced operation of multiple HVACs.

It is to be appreciated that the embodiments described herein areapplicable for a variety of different hardware configurations forthermostatic control of any particular HVAC region in an enclosure, andtherefore the term thermostat should not be construed as being limitedto a single, unitary hardware device such as a single, unitary VSCUunit. Rather, the embodiments described herein are broadly applicablefor any enclosure in which (i) there are multiple regions that are insome type of mutual thermal communication with each other, (ii) each ofthese regions is heated or cooled by virtue of at least one individuallycontrollable source or outlet of heat or cool; and (iii) the at leastone individually controllable source or outlet for each region isthermostatically controlled according to at least one sensor readingacquired in that region. For example, the scenario of FIG. 35 supra isset forth in terms of a relatively straightforward division of hardwareimplementation in which there is a separate, unitary thermostat in eachregion that controls its own separate HVAC system. For this scenario,the monitor program described herein that inhibits deleteriouscontrol-coupling effects can be implemented in at least the followingways: (i) as a program in a remote cloud server that is in datacommunication with each of the thermostats; (ii) as a program in adistinct on-premises hardware device, just as a desktop computer,tablet, or smartphone that is in data communication with each of thethermostats, (iii) as a program on one of the two thermostatsthemselves, which can have a “master” role to the other thermostat's“slave” role, and/or (iv) as a distributed program that is cooperativelycarried out jointly by the two thermostats.

By way of further example, a home or business may have multiple HVACregions that are connected by ductwork to a single HVAC system, witheach region having its own individually controllable damper(s) at theductwork vent(s) that lead into that region. Each of these regions couldhave its own distinct, unitary thermostat that governs its respectivevent damper in conjunction with the HVAC system, in which case themonitor program can be implemented in the ways described in thepreceding paragraph. Alternatively, instead of a distinct, unitarythermostat in each region, there can just be provided one or moreclimate sensors in each region that each wirelessly communicate with acentral thermostat unit, which is in turn coupled to the HVAC system andwhich wirelessly controls the damper(s) for each region. The set pointtemperatures for the respective regions can be uniform as fixed by inputto the central thermostat unit, or alternatively can be individuallyadjustable by input to the central thermostat unit such as by wirelesslyconnected set point temperature input devices located in each respectiveregion. For this scenario, each of the regions is effectively under itsown independent thermostatic control and therefore can benefit fromvarious versions of coordinated monitoring and control according to oneor more of the presently described methods. For this scenario, themonitor program can be implemented as (i) a program in a remote cloudserver that is in data communication with the central thermostat unit,(ii) as a program in a distinct on-premises hardware device, just as adesktop computer, tablet, or smartphone that is in data communicationwith the central thermostat unit, and/or (iii) as a program on thecentral thermostat unit.

It is to be appreciated that the previous description of the disclosedembodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to makeor use the present disclosure. Various modifications to theseembodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, andthe generic principles defined herein may be applied to otherembodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of thedisclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limitedto the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scopeconsistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

1. A thermostat comprising: one or more processors; one or moreelectronic memories; a control program stored within the one or moreelectronic memories and executed by the one or more processors thatcontrols operation of an HVAC unit; and a control-programcontrol-coupled-thermostat decoupling subcomponent that receivessettings-adjustment messages from a monitor and adjusts a thermostatsetting as directed by the settings-adjustment messages in order todecouple control-coupling between the thermostat and one or more remotethermostats collocated with the thermostat in a multi-region building orother multi-region environment.
 2. The thermostat of claim 1 whereineach settings-adjustment message indicates a change in one or morethermostat settings.
 3. The thermostat of claim 2 wherein thermostatsettings, adjustment of which are specified in settings-adjustmentmessages, include: an HVAC-cycle-delay parameter that indicates a timedelay between determination to initiate a new HVAC cycle, by thethermostat, and initiation of the new HVAC cycle; a swing parameter thatspecifies a range of temperatures within which new HVAC cycles are notinitiated; and a parameter that controls whether or not the thermostatseeks permission from the monitor prior to initiating a new HVAC cycle.4. The thermostat of claim 3 wherein, when the parameter that controlswhether or not the thermostat seeks permission from the monitor prior toinitiating a new HVAC cycle set to indicate that the thermostat seekspermission from the monitor prior to initiating a new HVAC cycle, thethermostat, after determining to initiate a new HVAC cycle, sends amessage to the monitor to request permission to initiate the new HVACcycle and initiates the new HVAC cycle when the monitor responds to themessage sent by the thermostat.
 5. The thermostat of claim 3 wherein theHVAC-cycle-delay parameter is a fine-grain adjustment that is adjustedmost frequently by the monitor; wherein the swing parameter is acoarser-grain adjustment than the HVAC-cycle-delay parameter, and isadjusted less frequently than the HVAC-cycle-delay parameter; andwherein the parameter that controls whether or not the thermostat seekspermission from the monitor prior to initiating a new HVAC cycle is thecoarsest-grain adjustment that is adjusted least frequently by themonitor.
 6. The thermostat of claim 1 wherein the monitor is remote fromthe thermostat and the setting-adjustment messages are sent by wired orwireless communications from the monitor to the thermostat.
 7. Thethermostat of claim 1 wherein the monitor is local with respect to thethermostat and the setting-adjustment messages are shared-memorymessages or direct settings adjustments by the monitor to locally storedsettings.
 8. A monitor comprising: one or more processors; one or moreelectronic memories; a monitor program stored within the one or moreelectronic memories and executed by the one or more processors thatmonitors operation of collocated thermostats; and upon detecting anonset of control coupling between two or more collocated thermostats,sends one or more settings-adjustment messages to one or more of thecollocated thermostats in order to decouple control coupling between thetwo or more of the collocated thermostats.
 9. The monitor of claim 8wherein the monitor detects the onset of control coupling between two ormore collocated thermostats by reviewing recent HVAC-cycleinitialization data stored in one or more of the one or more electronicmemories and determining that the frequency of HVAC-cycle initiation hasincreased.
 10. The monitor of claim 8 wherein the monitor detects theonset of control coupling between two or more collocated thermostats bycomparing recent HVAC-cycle initialization data stored in one or more ofthe one or more electronic memories with historical data collected undersimilar environmental conditions and determining that the recentHVAC-cycle initialization data contains a different pattern ofHVAC-cycle initialization than contained in the historical data.
 11. Themonitor of claim 8 wherein the monitor detects the onset of controlcoupling between two or more collocated thermostats by reviewing recentHVAC-cycle data stored in one or more of the one or more electronicmemories and determining that the lengths of HVAC cycles are increasingor decreasing.
 12. The monitor of claim 8 wherein the monitor detectsthe onset of control coupling between two or more collocated thermostatsby comparing recent HVAC-cycle data stored in one or more of the one ormore electronic memories with historical data collected under similarenvironmental conditions and determining that the lengths of recent HVACcycles are different than the lengths of HVAC cycles contained in thehistorical data.
 13. The monitor of claim 8 wherein eachsettings-adjustment message indicates a change in one or more thermostatsettings.
 14. The monitor of claim 13 wherein thermostat settings,adjustment of which are specified in settings-adjustment messages,include: an HVAC-cycle-delay parameter that indicates a time delaybetween determination to initiate a new HVAC cycle, by thesettings-adjustment-receiving thermostat, and initiation of the new HVACcycle; a swing parameter that specifies a range of temperatures withinwhich new HVAC cycles are not initiated; and a parameter that controlswhether or not the settings-adjustment-receiving thermostat seekspermission from the monitor prior to initiating a new HVAC cycle. 15.The monitor of claim 14 wherein, when the monitor has sentsettings-adjustment messages to collocated thermostats, the monitorresponds to messages from collocated thermostats so that only a singleone of the collocated thermostats initiates an HVAC cycle at any givenpoint in time during monitor control of HVAC-cycle initiation.
 16. Themonitor of claim 14 wherein, when the monitor has sentsettings-adjustment messages to collocated thermostats, the monitorresponds to messages from collocated thermostats so that only a singleone of the collocated thermostats initiates and completes an HVAC cycleat any given point in time during monitor control of HVAC-cycleinitiation.
 17. The monitor of claim 14 wherein, when the monitor hassent settings-adjustment messages to collocated thermostats, the monitorresponds to messages from collocated thermostats so that the frequencyof HVAC-cycle initiation is decreased, over time.
 18. The monitor ofclaim 14 wherein, when the monitor has sent settings-adjustment messagesto collocated thermostats, the monitor responds to messages fromcollocated thermostats so that the lengths of HVAC cycles of at leastone HVAC unit are increased, over time.
 19. The monitor of claim 14wherein, when the monitor has sent settings-adjustment messages tocollocated thermostats, the monitor responds to messages from collocatedthermostats so that the lengths of HVAC cycles of at least one HVAC unitare decreased, over time.
 20. The monitor of claim 8 wherein the monitoris remote from the collocated thermostats and the setting-adjustmentmessages are sent by wired or wireless communications from the monitorto the thermostat.
 21. The monitor of claim 8 wherein the monitor islocal with respect to at least one of the collocated thermostats and thesetting-adjustment messages are shared-memory messages or directsettings adjustments by the monitor to locally stored settings withinthe at least one collocated thermostat local to the monitor.